RFK Jr. says Biden ‘tarred’ his reputation by not leaving race sooner

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he thinks Joe Biden damaged his reputation by not dropping out of the race sooner.

Kennedy’s comments come after Biden, bending to pressure from his party, dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the next Democratic candidate. The third-party candidate held a press conference shortly after to argue that Biden and his vice president, who appears poised to take over the Democratic ticket, will be indistinguishable.

Now, he tells CBS News the decision to leave should have come sooner.

“I’ve known Joe Biden for 40 years, and I commend him and respect him for the 50 years that he gave in service to our country, but I think he tarred that reputation and that career over the past year by refusing to let go of power,” Kennedy told CBS News on Thursday.

Kennedy also criticized the president’s Oval Office speech on Wednesday, in which he further explained his decision to bow out.

“It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden told the nation. “But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title.”

Kennedy criticized the speech, telling CBS News it was “more of a statement about what his accomplishments were, rather than a reassurance to the American public about where we are today.”

The independent candidate is reportedly weighing an endorsement of Donald Trump.

Kennedy recently called Trump to discuss the possibility of dropping out of the race and throwing his support to the former president, The Washington Post reports. Kennedy also floated a job in Trump’s White House during the call, sources familiar with the conversation told the Post.

Several of his Democratic colleagues praised his decision to pass the torch.

“Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he’s a truly amazing human being. His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

“President Biden is a great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said.

Meanwhile, many Republicans called for Biden to step down from the presidency after dropping out of the race.

“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said. “He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.”

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik echoed a similar point: “If Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is unable and unfit to continue serving as President of the United States.”