Trump says he ‘absolutely would have gotten’ Libertarian Party nomination if he could have run, blasts RFK Jr.

Former President Donald Trump says he “absolutely” would have secured the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination if he hadn’t already been the presumptive GOP nominee.

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

“The reason why I did not file documents for the Libertarian nomination, which I absolutely would have obtained if I had wanted (as everyone could see from the enthusiasm of the crowd last night!) , was the fact that as a Republican nominee, I am not allowed to have the nomination of any other party,” Trump wrote on his social media platform on Sunday,

“No matter what, I believe I will get the majority of the Libertarian vote,” Trump continued.

MORE: Trump met boos demanding Libertarian 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 convention but was ultimately not chosen as the nominee.

‘Junior’ Kennedy is a radical left-wing Democrat, who destroyed everything he touched, particularly in New York and New England, and particularly with regard to the cost and practicality of energy,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “He is not a libertarian. Only a fool would vote for him!”

Kennedy hit back at Trump in a message published Sunday evening, accusing the former president of exacerbating economic inequality and staffing his administration with staff favoring a more muscular American presence abroad, contradicting the slogan “The America First” by Trump.

“If you think a second Trump term would be any different, you’re engaging in wishful thinking,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy, who received a last-minute nomination to run for president but didn’t get enough votes to continue, reacted on social media Sunday, calling the party’s decision an “unexpected honor.”

“What an unexpected honor to wake up this morning to a groundswell within the Libertarian Party seeking to nominate me. I would have accepted the nomination if it had been offered to me, because independents and third parties must unite immediately now to reclaim our country from the corrupt two-party system,” Kennedy wrote on X, saying his convention speech was a “highlight” of his campaign.

MORE: Trump and RFK Jr. in a split-screen showdown at the Libertarian National Convention

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

In an article on X, he wrote that he “would have accepted the nomination if it had been offered to him because independents and third parties must unite now.”

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

The two candidates had agreed to speak at the congress at the invitation of the party president. Kennedy spoke Friday, drawing a lukewarm response from members — most of whom reported to ABC News in interviews over the weekend that they did not consider Kennedy a “true libertarian.”

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

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

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

Shanahan said Trump’s speech Saturday night showed a “division in this country,” saying Kennedy was there to “heal that division.”

Shanahan and his partner Jacob Strumwasser were present during Trump’s speech Saturday evening.

“It was an interesting moment to be in that room,” Shanahan said. “Quite clearly, there’s quite a bit of division in this country and that’s what Bobby Kennedy is here for right now – to bridge that divide. And I think he’s the right person for that, and I completely agree.”

Chase Oliver, a millennial political activist who was embraced by a more left wing of the Libertarian Party, won the party’s presidential nomination after seven rounds of voting at their 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 ‘absolutely would have gotten’ Libertarian Party nomination if he could have run, criticizes RFK Jr., originally appeared on abcnews.go.com