RFK Jr trolled after paying Russell Brand $70K for campaign event just weeks before he endorsed Trump
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: British comedian and actor Russell Brand was paid nearly $70,000 to appear at a campaign event for Robert F Kennedy Jr last month.
According to a new report, Brand received payments totaling $68,000 from Kennedy's campaign to cover travel expenses for himself and his crew. The payments included two separate amounts of $61,000 and $7,000 designated for "event entertainment."
Russell Brand's endorsement of Trump sparks controversy amid Kennedy campaign fallout
The event in question was a comedy show held in Nashville, Tennessee, as part of Kennedy's long-shot presidential bid. Brand performed alongside other well-known comedians such as Rob Schneider and Jim Breuer.
During his performance, Brand presented a series of conspiracy theories that resonated well with the audience, many of whom were supporters of Kennedy, a prominent figure in the US anti-vaccine movement.
Despite the substantial compensation from Kennedy's campaign, Brand later used his podcast "Stay Free with Russell Brand" to encourage Americans to vote for Donald Trump.
Although Brand did not explicitly endorse Trump, he wondered why freedom-loving Americans would support President Joe Biden in the upcoming election.
Brand's endorsement appeared to significantly diverge from the goals of Kennedy's campaign.
Brand, known for his unconventional views, has been a vocal critic of coronavirus mandates and vaccine requirements on various platforms, including his podcasts and online shows.
He has also taken a strong stance against what he describes as the "snobbery" exhibited by liberals towards Trump supporters.
Brand accuses Trump’s opponents of unfairly criminalizing the former president and suggests that the "weaponization of the legal system" poses a greater threat to democracy than Trump's alleged strongman image, OK! Magazine reported.
In a recent episode of his podcast, Brand spoke with Elizabeth Pipko, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC). They discussed Trump’s trial and subsequent conviction, where Brand made his views clear.
Brand said, "In a straight choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, if you care about democracy, if you care about freedom, I don’t know how you could do anything other than vote for Donald Trump for precisely the reasons that they claim that you can’t."
“They act as if a vote for Donald Trump is almost like you’re directly voting for Armageddon, like you see hysterical performances outside of courtrooms, endless MSNBC bombast," Brand continued. "But I’m starting to think that no, a greater threat to democracy is this kind of technological feudalism, that tells you that it cares about you and that it’s protecting vulnerable people, all the while increasing censorship, increasing the funding of wars, increasing the division between ordinary Americans.”
The apparent endorsement from Brand came at a challenging time for RFK Jr's campaign. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for the upcoming presidential debate in Atlanta to be hosted by CNN. He fell short of both the necessary state ballot qualification and the required polling benchmarks.
The debate, scheduled for June 27, will feature only President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, the Associated Press reported.
Robert F Kennedy Jr trolled on social media
Brand's surprising endorsement of Trump, despite being paid by Kennedy, triggered widespread mockery on social media, with many ridiculing the independent candidate for investing heavily in the controversial comedian.
"Money well spent I suppose," one posted on X
"They paid him, it’s on them," another wrote.
"He was paid to be there not to endorse," a comment read.
"It's called, 'take the money and run.' A job is a job, but he already knew who he was voting for," someone else offered.
"Nice play!" another remarked.
It's called, "take the money and run." 😆 A job is a job, but he already knew who he was voting for.
— Rylan (@Ry_Malice) June 21, 2024
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