Libertarians gave Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a chilly reception when the two presidential candidates were invited to address the Libertarian Party convention in Washington last month, greeting their remarks with raucous boos.
Pro-Trump attendees clashed with the Libertarians throughout the former president’s remarks on Saturday, May 25. The chaotic scene resulted in several people getting escorted from the room while the crowd booed and jeered the former president.
Trump repeatedly sparred with the unruly crowd, at one point, snapping that the Libertarians could continue “getting your 3 percent every for years” and suggesting that they “don’t want to win.”
While Trump was not seeking the Libertarian nomination, his campaign hoped that his appearance might encourage some party members to support him in November.
To win over the group, Trump advocated for commuting the life sentence imposed on Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht who was convicted of several felonies after his black market website allowed users to anonymously buy and sell drugs and phony government documents.
Freeing Ulbricht is part of the Libertarian Party platform.
While Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received a slightly warmer reception than the former president, he too faced some pushback for his appearance at the event.
Kennedy tried to appeal to the group by vowing to pardon Edward Snowden, the government whistleblower currently living in exile in Russia. The third-party candidate also promised to drop the charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange who is fighting extradition to the United States.
Kennedy also slammed Trump over his handling of the pandemic, arguing that the former president’s travel restrictions and lockdowns violated the Constitution.
The decision by party leadership to invite Kennedy and Trump created division in the Libertarian Party with some delegates seeking to exclude the two candidates from the convention. Delegates were heard booing and shouting obscenities at party chair Angela McArdle during the business session on Friday, May 24 over their objection to Kennedy and Trump appearing at the convention.
The organizers also invited President Joe Biden but he declined.
