Trump says he “would have gotten” the Libertarian Party nomination if he could run, criticizes RFK Jr.

Former President Donald Trump said he would have “absolutely” gotten the nomination for chairman of the Libertarian Party convention if not for already being the presumptive Republican Party candidate.

In a statement on Sunday following an appearance at the party’s convention on Saturday, Trump highlighted the “enthusiasm” of the crowd, where he received a mixed response that included audible boos.

“The reason I did not file the paperwork for the Libertarian Nomination, which I would have gotten if I wanted (as everyone could tell from the crowd’s enthusiasm last night!), was the fact that, as a Republican candidate, I am not authorized to have the nomination of another party,” Trump wrote on his social media platform on Sunday.

“Regardless, I believe I will win a majority of the libertarian vote,” Trump continued.

MORE: Trump received boos asking libertarians for nomination and votes at chaotic convention

In his Sunday message, Trump also criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who received a nomination to be a candidate at the Libertarian Party conventionalthough he was ultimately not chosen as their candidate.

“Junior’ Kennedy is a radical left Democrat who destroyed everything he touched, especially in New York and New England, and in particular when it came to the cost and practicality of energy,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. . Only a FOOL would vote for him!”

Kennedy fired at Trump in a post on X Sunday night, accusing the former president of exacerbating economic inequalities and overloading his administration with officials who supported a stronger US presence abroad, in contradiction to Trump’s “America First” slogan.

“If you think a second Trump term would be any different, you are engaging in delusion,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy, who received an 11th a.m. nomination to be a presidential candidate but did not receive enough votes to continue, reacted on social media on Sunday, calling the party’s decision “an unexpected honor.”

“What an unexpected honor to wake up this morning to a wave in the Libertarian Party seeking to nominate me. I would have accepted the nomination if it had been offered because independents and third parties need to come together now to take our country back from the corrupt two-party system,” Kennedy wrote in X, saying his convention speech was a “highlight” of his campaign.

MORE: Trump, RFK Jr. in split-screen showdown at Libertarian National Convention

“While we may not agree on every downstream issue, our core values ​​of peace, freedom of expression and civil liberties make us natural allies… Let’s take our country back,” he concluded.

In a post on X, he wrote that he “would have accepted the nomination if it was offered, because independents and third parties need to come together now.”

Kennedy did not respond to Trump’s latest social media attack.

Both candidates agreed to speak at the convention at the invitation of the party president. Kennedy spoke on Friday, which drew a lukewarm response from members — most of whom signaled to ABC News in interviews over the weekend that they did not consider Kennedy a “true Libertarian.”

Trump’s speech on Saturday was much more chaotic, with constant booing and some physical altercations with law enforcement amid his brief comments focused on courting the voting bloc.

Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, was scheduled to speak at the convention on Sunday afternoon, but left without speaking after Kennedy was eliminated.

On Saturday, however, she spoke to reporters about the opposition of some party members to Kennedy’s presence at the convention, saying, “I think there is a great possibility of success if we work together.”

Shanahan said Trump’s speech Saturday night showed a “division in this country,” claiming Kennedy is here to “heal that division.”

Shanahan and his partner Jacob Strumwasser were in the room at Trump’s speech Saturday night.

“It was an interesting moment to be in that room,” Shanahan said. “Very clearly, there is clearly a certain division in this country and that’s what Bobby Kennedy is here for right now – to heal that division. And I think he’s the right guy for that, and I’m all in.”

Chase Oliver, a millennial political activist who has been embraced by a more left-leaning wing of the Libertarian party, won the party’s presidential nomination after seven rounds of voting at its convention on Sunday.

In the sixth round, he obtained 49.53% (423 votes), followed by candidate Michael Rectenwald with 44.73% (382 votes).

Trump says he “would have gotten” the Libertarian Party nomination if he could run, criticizes RFK Jr. originally appeared in abcnews.go.com