This combination photo shows Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on May 1, 2024, in Waukesha, Wis., left, and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. during a campaign event, Oct. 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. Trump is addressing the Libertarian National Convention Saturday, May 25, 2024, courting a segment of the conservative electorate that’s often skeptical of the former president’s bombast while trying to ensure attendees aren’t drawn to independent White House hopeful Kennedy, Jr.
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The Libertarian Party is holding its national convention to select its presidential nominee, who will likely be overshadowed by speeches from Republican former President Donald Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
The gambit comes as Libertarians have seen internal struggle over the direction of the party’s future and as third-party candidates could play an outsized role in deciding the outcome of the 2024 presidential race.
Kennedy and Trump do not have many ideological overlaps with libertarians, but they do bring outside attention and media coverage to the party and its platform.
Libertarians have ballot access in 37 states, including key battlegrounds like Georgia, Michigan and Arizona, as well as a consistent enough presence in those states to have some influence over who wins in November, even though it won’t be a Libertarian.
Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian Party explained in a recent podcast interview the logic behind having Kennedy and Trump speak.
“They need us,” she said. “And so we have a lot of bargaining chips right now, and there’s so much that we can do without compromise, without ceding any ground – it’s literally just inviting them to share the stage with us.”
McArdle and others in the party say getting major candidates to the convention stage will have them engage with and hopefully eventually adopt libertarian views on a range of issues.
“You have to go talk to Republicans and Democrats, that’s how this works,” she said. “We’re a political minority, we don’t get elected and then only work with libertarians, you’ve got to work with other people and try to pull them in your direction.”
Not everyone is thrilled by having the party’s marquee meeting overshadowed by hosting two presidential candidates that don’t support the party’s goals. Some of that split was on display Friday, when there were several failed attempts to rescind the speaking offer for Kennedy and Trump and give the time back to Libertarian candidates.
The Libertarian Party has seen internal turmoil in recent years, with a faction called the Mises Caucus taking charge and taking a more aggressive, hardline and sometimes isolating stance on the party and its future. In many ways, they align more with the far right of the GOP.
Members of the Classical Liberal Caucus have pointed out that Trump and Kennedy don’t align with libertarian values, and note that bringing these candidates to the convention increases the likelihood they poach voters from the Libertarian candidate.
In many ways, the spat over the convention is reminiscent of the meme that sees three Spider-Mans in a standoff pointing at each other, because the Libertarian Party, Kennedy and Trump are all competing for this same pool of voters.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Libertarian National Convention at the Washington Hilton in Washington, Friday. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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Kennedy’s Friday afternoon speech lambasted Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and said the Republican “took a hammer and tongs” to the Constitution.
“With lockdowns, the mask mandates, the travel restrictions, President Trump presided over the greatest restriction on individual liberties this country has ever known,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy’s appearance at the convention comes as he seeks ballot access, so his speech is another higher-profile opportunity for his campaign to reach more people that could help sign petitions to get him qualified in more states.
The Libertarian Party usually earns a small percentage of the popular vote depending on the state and race and year, and with several swing states potentially decided by narrow margins again, more people voting Libertarian has more of an impact on who ultimately wins the White House.
That’s a reason Trump is there: to try and win these voters back into his fold, show them that he shares at least some of their values — and that he can act on them as president.
But in an election cycle where appetite for third party support could be at an all time high, there’s also potential for pretty low support, between RFK’s polarizing views on vaccines, the libertarian infighting and voters thinking more strategically about how their vote counts.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Republicans and Democrats won’t hold their party conventions until later this summer. But this weekend, another political party, the Libertarian Party, is holding its national convention to select its presidential nominee for November. That person will likely be upstaged by former President Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both are invited to speak, and both are not libertarian in their views. NPR’s Stephen Fowler covers third-party presidential campaigns and joins us now. Hi, Stephen.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Hey there.
CHANG: OK. So why has the Libertarian Party invited these two presidential candidates to give these prominent speeches at their convention when neither is libertarian?
FOWLER: Well, it’s attention first and foremost. I mean, look. There’s going to be way more people tuning in at the convention and more media covering it because of Trump and RFK Jr.
CHANG: OK.
FOWLER: The Libertarian Party does have ballot access in 37 states, including battlegrounds like Georgia. So they do have some influence over who wins, even though it won’t be a Libertarian. Here’s Megan McArdle (ph), chair of the Libertarian Party, in a recent podcast interview explaining her logic and having Kennedy and Trump speak.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ANGELA MCARDLE: They need us. And so we have a lot of bargaining chips right now, and there’s so much that we can do without compromise and without ceding any ground. It’s literally just inviting them to share the stage with us.
FOWLER: Basically, she says, it’s about power and getting these major candidates to engage with and maybe one day adopt libertarian viewpoints.
CHANG: OK. I hear her point of view. But what’s been the reaction within the party to inviting non-libertarians to take the stage at the convention?
FOWLER: Well, it’s a bit of a mixed review. Libertarians have a bit of an identity crisis right now. There’s this faction called the Mises Caucus that’s kind of taken over with this aggressive, hardline and sometimes isolating stance on the party and its future. In many ways, they align more with the far-right of the GOP. Then there’s this Classical Liberal Caucus, which is exactly what it sounds like. Some people in that group point out that Trump and Kennedy don’t align with libertarian values, and bringing them includes increases the likelihood they poach voters from the Libertarian candidate. I mean, at the convention today, there were several futile attempts to give that time back to actual libertarians in a bit of a chaotic manner.
That’s the main point of all of this, though. It’s kind of like that meme of Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man…
CHANG: (Laughter).
FOWLER: …Because at the end of the day, everybody mentioned here – the libertarians, RFK and Donald Trump – they’re all competing for the same pool of voters.
CHANG: I guess so. But tell me. How could this greater attention on third-party candidates affect the presidential race in November, you think?
FOWLER: Well, like I said before, Libertarians have ballot access in most states, which, for now, RFK Jr. does not. So it’s another chance for his campaign to reach out to more people with this message. That, in turn, could help him get on more ballots. Libertarians do usually only get a percent or two of the popular vote, which matters in key swing states that’ll probably be decided by narrow margins. And that is why Trump is there – to try and win these voters back into his camp and to show them that he shares at least some of their values and can act on them as president.
I’ll end with this thought, though. In this election cycle, where an appetite for third-party support could be at an all-time high, there’s also potential for pretty low support between RFK’s polarizing views on vaccines, libertarian infighting and voters thinking strategically about how their vote counts. There’s also this cliche, Ailsa, about it all coming down to turnout.
CHANG: Sure.
FOWLER: I mean, we can’t know who’s going to show up, where and for whom until the actual election.
CHANG: That is NPR’s Stephen Fowler in Atlanta. Thank you so much, Stephen.
FOWLER: Thank you.
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