Credit: Dr. Phil/X Talk show host Dr. Phil has announced upcoming exclusive interviews with Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., set to...
Talk show host Dr. Phil has announced upcoming exclusive interviews with Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., set to air this week following the historic campaign announcement.
The highly anticipated sit-downs will be featured on Dr. Phil McGraw’s streaming platform and network, Merit Street. The episode with Trump will be streamed on Tuesday, followed by Kennedy’s interview on Wednesday.
During the exclusive interview with Dr. Phil, Kennedy revealed that internal polling data showed 57% of his supporters would back Trump over Kamala Harris if he exited the race.
Kennedy made it clear that his withdrawal was also motivated by a deep conviction that Harris’s policies are antithetical to the values he holds dear.
Kennedy’s decision to withdraw from the ballots in 10 crucial swing states, while keeping his name in the red and blue states, is a calculated move to ensure that his presence does not inadvertently hand the election to Harris.
Dr. Phil: You crafted a trail in your press conference. You’re staying on the ballot in the red and blue states. In the swing states, people have said that this could come down to 15 counties in 11 different states.
Eleven of those counties are in seven states, including where we are right now. You said you don’t want to be on the ballots there. You don’t want people to vote for you there. Do you think you can be the determining factor in this presidential election?
Because of the positioning, of course, if they don’t get to 270, if they tie at 269, it’s a whole different ball game. But if this comes down to independents in those 15 counties in those 11 states, and you’ve given your support to the Trump candidacy, do you feel like you may very well be the one that selects the next President of the United States by your influence?
RFK Jr.: That’s possible, but I would have if I had stayed on the ballot in the swing states. What I’ve done, Phil, is we’re taking my name off the ballots in 10 states that are swing states. We’re leaving my name on in the red states and the blue states so people can vote for me without consequence.
They’re not going to be scared, thinking, “Oh, the bad guy is going to get elected.” You know who’s going to get elected in those states. So it allows people to vote for me who want to vote for me without any consequence.
But we recognize from our polling that if I stayed in the race, it would have almost certainly swung the race to Vice President Harris, who was trying to throw me off the ballot in all of the states, ironically.
But I thought that that would not be a good outcome for her because I differ with her on all the issues—on the issues of war, on the issues of censorship, on the issues of chronic disease, and many, many other issues. I did not want to give the election to her. I didn’t think it would be right to do so.
Our polling from the beginning showed pretty consistently that if I got out of the race, 57% of the people who are supporting me would vote for Trump. So me staying in the race would have very likely swung the race to Harris. Just getting out of the race, I think, makes it a fair race between them.
Dr. Phil: You’re double digits in some of these swing states.
RFK Jr.: Yes, I am. And if 57% of those people go to former President Trump, that’s a real boost to him.
Dr. Phil: That’s a real boost to him.
RFK Jr.: Yes, it is. I think my decision about what to do makes it much more likely that President Trump will get elected.
Dr. Phil: So you do acknowledge that?
RFK Jr.: Yes.
Dr. Phil: And you agree with him on enough priorities that you’re more comfortable with that outcome than if it went the other way, even though you’ve grown up a Democrat?
RFK Jr.: Even though I grew up in the Democratic Party, and I had the same orientation towards abhorrence for, I’d say, President Trump as many Democrats had, maybe four years ago, mainly because of his environmental stances, which I continue to disagree with. But our conversations—my conversations with President Trump—were very amiable.
He talked about starting a unity party, about President Lincoln and his team of rivals. I could come in and support him because of these existential issues—censorship and chronic disease—that I feel strongly about, and he feels strongly about, and that Kamala is on the wrong side of.
I thought I could continue to criticize him on issues where I don’t agree with him, and he was very comfortable with that. I liked that, too. I’m not going to cosign a lot of the things he says and endorse his actions, but on those issues and on the border, I’m with him.
Dr. Phil: Are you going to actively campaign for President Trump?
RFK Jr.: Yes, I will.
Dr. Phil: So I may be sitting here talking to the one person in this country who is going to pick the next President of the United States by what you did today.
RFK Jr.: That is possible. It certainly is.
WATCH:
WEDNESDAY: RFK JR says he removed his name from swing state ballots to avoid a Kamala victory#RFKJr #RFKJr24 #DrPhil #Primetime #MeritTVpic.twitter.com/9Ojd7jtAGN
— Dr. Phil (@DrPhil) August 25, 2024
Kennedy’s bombshell decision comes on the heels of reports that the Biden administration removed his security service details. It is expected that more of his supporters would vote for Trump.
Trump’s campaign has already seized on Kennedy’s decision, touting it as a significant boost to their efforts in battleground states. According to recent surveys conducted by Trump’s team, Kennedy’s support base overwhelmingly favors Trump over Harris.
The data shows that in crucial states like Arizona and Georgia, where the 2020 election was decided by narrow margins, Kennedy’s exit could tip the scales decisively in Trump’s favor.
To illustrate the impact, Trump’s campaign shared detailed polling results, highlighting the potential vote shifts in swing states. In Arizona, for example, Kennedy’s withdrawal could result in a net gain of over 41,000 votes for Trump, nearly four times Biden’s 2020 winning margin.
In Georgia, the potential gain is over 19,000 votes—almost double Biden’s previous margin of victory. The numbers are clear: Kennedy’s departure could make all the difference.
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