RFK Jr. Misstates Biden Mentions at RNC
- RFK Jr. falsely claimed Biden was mentioned just twice at the RNC.
- In reality, Biden was mentioned nearly 400 times at the Republican National Convention.
- The inaccurate statement was made during RFK Jr.'s speech suspending his independent presidential campaign.
In a recent speech announcing the suspension of his independent presidential campaign, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a controversial claim regarding President Joe Biden's mentions at the Republican National Convention (RNC) held in July. Kennedy criticized the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago for being overly focused on style and former President Donald Trump, asserting that Democratic speakers mentioned Trump 147 times on the first day alone. He further claimed that Biden was mentioned only twice throughout the four-day RNC. However, Kennedy's assertion about Biden's mentions has been debunked. A New York Times analysis revealed that the name "Biden" was actually mentioned 393 times during the RNC. Notably, Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance referred to Biden 12 times in his speech, while Trump himself mentioned Biden twice. Kennedy's claim appears to have gained traction on social media, despite its inaccuracy. The misinformation surrounding Biden's mentions at the RNC has been traced back to various speakers who criticized the president without directly naming him. For instance, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo each mentioned Biden multiple times, further illustrating the discrepancy in Kennedy's statement. This incident highlights the ongoing challenges of political discourse and the spread of misinformation in the current electoral landscape.