Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has canceled a planned appearance at the Des Moines Register's Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair because of "increased security concerns," his campaign said.
Kennedy had originally been scheduled to speak at 2:15 p.m. Aug. 10 on the Soapbox stage positioned along the fair's Grand Concourse.
Kennedy, whose father and uncle were both killed by assassins, was granted U.S. Secret Service protection following the failed assassination attempt of former Republican President Donald Trump in July in Pennsylvania.
Kennedy's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.
Kennedy was one of 10 candidates scheduled to speak at this year's Soapbox , which has become an Iowa political tradition by attracting politicians from across the state and nation.
“I believe the campaign wanted Mr. Kennedy to speak at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox and worked hard to make that happen, and the Iowa State Fair has always worked diligently to accommodate all candidates’ needs,” said Register Executive Editor Carol Hunter. “But the campaign’s understandable security concerns in the end couldn’t be satisfactorily addressed.”
Hunter said she was told of no specific threat but the campaign had general concerns about an open-air stage on the busy fairgrounds.
As a matter of policy, the Secret Service does not comment on whether it has received any potential threat information about its protectees, including candidates for president and vice president. But a source familiar with RFK Jr. security operations told USA TODAY that “I'm not tracking any type of conversations like that, certainly not to the level that we had with Trump.”
The Washington Post reported that the Secret Service has encouraged the Trump campaign to stop scheduling outdoor rallies following the recent assassination attempt.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, attended an open air rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Wednesday.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and a leader of the anti-vaccine movement known for trafficking in conspiracy theories, spoke at the Register's Soapbox in 2023 when he was running for president as a Democrat. And he held a rally in West Des Moines earlier this year in an effort to secure a spot on Iowa's presidential ballot as an independent candidate. His campaign said he had amassed the necessary signatures.
Kennedy had been seen as a spoiler candidate with the potential to take away significant numbers of votes from so-called "double haters," or Americans who had an unfavorable view of both Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden.
But since Biden announced he would not seek reelection and the party has rallied behind Harris, Kennedy's path has appeared more muddled. Axios reported his pace of campaigning has slowed and his cash stockpile has dwindled as he works to gain entry onto ballots across the country.
He's also been the focus of scrutiny this week after he revealed that he dumped a dead bear cub in New York City's Central Park and staged it as a bicycle accident. The decade-old mystery baffled police at the time.
In a video shared to social media, Kennedy said he was revealing his role in the story now to preempt a looming New Yorker article.
USA TODAY reporter Josh Meyer contributed to this story.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She is also covering the 2024 presidential race for USA TODAY as a senior national campaign correspondent. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Citing 'increased security concerns,' RFK Jr. cancels Iowa State Fair Soapbox appearance
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