‘Plenty of Empty Seats’: RFK Jr. Speech at Libertarian Convention Draws Small Crowd

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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s speech at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, D.C., on Friday afternoon drew a small crowd.

His speech, which was initially scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST, drew a small crowd with dozens of empty seats inside the convention minutes before he was initially set to speak, according to Semafor’s David Weigel.

Kennedy was scheduled to speak at 3:30 (now) but there are plenty of empty seats. (The tiny buttons on the chairs say RFK Jr.) pic.twitter.com/9YmKjjIDcj

— David Weigel (@daveweigel) May 24, 2024

One minute before he’s scheduled to address the Libertarian National Convention, the number of empty chairs are overwhelming the number of actual attendees of RFK Jr.’s speech. pic.twitter.com/tQ4uDZECAA

— Alexandra De Luca (@AlexDe_Luca) May 24, 2024

Former President Donald Trump also plans to speak at the convention later this weekend, highlighting tensions between RFK’s campaign and Trump. Although Trump is leading in multiple swing state elections, but the races are narrow enough to where independent and libertarian voters could tip the scale.

Although he is not running on the Libertarian ticket, Kennedy’s policies regarding small government and hesitation toward the vaccine have often aligned with the party.

Moreover, the MoveOn PAC, a Democratic-aligned political organization, set up a mobile billboard outside the convention to dissuade attendees from supporting Kennedy.