In a surprising turn of events, Rita Palma, a New York campaign staff member for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was fired after expressing her priority to prevent President Joe Biden’s victory and encourage volunteering for former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. This revelation came to light during a meeting with GOP voters, where Palma identified herself as the Kennedy campaign’s New York state director and presented a political strategy to block Biden from winning the presidency. Despite Palma’s dismissal, she maintained her belief in Kennedy as the best candidate and emphasized that the focus on her comments was a distraction.
Palma’s termination was announced by Kennedy’s campaign manager, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, who cited misrepresentation as the reason for ending her contract. Palma confirmed her departure from the campaign but stated that she had dealt with the campaign honestly and had nothing to defend. Despite the controversy surrounding her comments, Palma expressed appreciation for her time with Team Kennedy and optimism for Kennedy’s future in the political arena. Meanwhile, the Kennedy campaign downplayed Palma’s role as a ballot access consultant and emphasized their focus on obtaining ballot access in New York as a crucial step towards qualifying for the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, DC.
As the Kennedy campaign faces challenges in gathering 45,000 valid signatures in New York within a six-week window, the Biden campaign has raised concerns about Kennedy being a potential spoiler that could benefit Trump in the upcoming election. While Democrats and Biden allies have actively opposed Kennedy’s campaign, the Trump campaign has largely ignored the independent candidate so far. With the political landscape heating up, Kennedy’s quest for ballot access and the fallout from Palma’s controversial statements continue to shape the dynamics of the upcoming election cycle.
