Libertarians Booed Donald Trump Because He Isn’t Libertarian
Former President Donald Trump addressed the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday to make an explicit appeal to libertarian voters. It did not go over well. The crowd booed Trump for the duration of the speech. There were some MAGA supporters in the room who had come in just for the speech and were not otherwise involved with the convention; when they started chanting “we want Trump,” they were drowned out by more familiar libertarian cheers, such as “end the Fed.”
For all of the concern that the optics of Trump’s convention appearance might confuse voters nationwide, give the appearance that Libertarians are in cahoots with Trump, or erase the considerable distinctions between the Republican Party and the Libertarian Party, Trump’s icy reception should actually make it even more obvious than he has not earned the support of libertarians. Indeed, at a time when the former president is making inroads with all sorts of voters and delivering speeches all over the country, people who prize individual liberty booed him louder and more consistently than any other voting bloc.
What Trump had hoped to get out of such an appearance is unclear. According to Reason‘s Brian Doherty, the campaign first reached out to request a speaking slot. Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle then invited all three major presidential candidates—Trump, President Joe Biden, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—to speak, with her stated reasoning being that this would draw attention to the nominating convention. “This is an incredible opportunity for us to bring someone who grabs the spotlight and put them on our stage,” she told The Washington Post.
RFK Jr. and Trump accepted; Biden declined. RFK Jr.’s remarks were much better received than Trump’s—in fact, the Democrat-turned-independent received standing ovations when he promised to pardon Edward Snowden and
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