Leah Feiger: Well, Eric Clapton-
Anna Merlan: It makes sense.
Leah Feiger: So sad.
Makena Kelly: But Eric Clapton raised a lot of money. Could he get-
Leah Feiger: Alicia Silverstone.
Makena Kelly: I know.
Leah Feiger: That's what you told me that made me especially sad. I can't again
Anna Merlan: Well, she's been involved in anti-vaccine activism since at least 2015.
Leah Feiger: Yes, that's new to me. I'll be honest, that's new to me. Obviously nothing new to you, nor to all of our vaccine conspiracy experts here. But could I watch Clueless again in the same way? I do not know. I do not think so. I think not.
Makena Kelly: Yes, celebrities do have such macro influence that they can help spread his name, his like. Then you'll see PAC, of course, reaching out to these fitness influencers, targeting those micro-influencers that have that direct relationship. The campaign is really focused on reaching people across every sector, and then at a smaller level, engaging them and activating voting.
Leah Feiger: That's right. What does all this mean? Family intrigue, money, celebrity fundraising, podcasts, conspiracies. Where does this campaign go from here and will his candidacy really make a difference? In which states is he actually eligible to run?
Makena Kelly: The campaign reports that it has collected enough signatures to appear on several ballots in states such as Hawaii, Nevada, New Hampshire and Utah. He also stated that he also participated in voting in North Carolina and Arizona. At least three major battleground states for this election.
Leah Feiger: The campaign said he just added Iowa this past weekend. I guess to clarify, this is what his campaign is saying, this is what the Super PAC is saying. We really don't know this for sure. Will his candidacy really make a difference? Anna, what do you think?
Anna Merlan: This has been the argument since he began his candidacy. Who will it make a difference to? He won't be President, I feel pretty confident in saying that. So the argument is will it attract more votes from the Trump camp or the Biden camp? I would say that anyone who makes either of those statements with confidence is probably overconfident. I think it will probably attract votes from both sides of the aisle.
But I wrote, when he announced his candidacy, that his candidacy was primarily about promoting himself. It's an advertisement for himself, his anti-vax activism, and for Children's Health Protection. Whatever effect it has on the election or the vote, it will have a huge effect on his public image and ability to raise money for other causes after he is no longer involved. join the election campaign.
Leah Feiger: I don't know, Anna. I think I have to disagree a bit. I think the RFJ Jr. campaign. will only help Trump. When we look at the polls of Trump voters and Biden voters, Trump voters are committed. They are willing to vote for Trump for another term. Biden's number of voters was slightly smaller. Overall, this was a very unpopular election. There are plenty of voters out there, independent, Biden or otherwise, who can ignore RFJ Jr.'s conspiracy. in the past. If it's not being discussed much in the media right now, which sadly it's not, then it's an easy way to zoom in and say, “I hate these two options, I'll choose this one, I will Ra declare.” It really doesn't take that many votes to have a big impact, especially in states where Kennedy was trying to win votes. I'm really worried about how this might play out.
