Libertarians jeer Trump, pick nominee
Activist Chase Oliver was chosen as the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee
What happened
The Libertarian Party chose activist Chase Oliver as its presidential nominee after a weekend convention that featured a poorly received speech by Donald Trump and a less-contentious appearance by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Who said what
Trump's pitch for the Libertarian nomination included pledges to "put a libertarian in my Cabinet" and commute the prison sentence of online drug kingpin Ross Ulbricht. His speech was met with "skepticism and contempt," Semafor's David Weigel said. After prolonged booing and jeering, Trump told the crowd they "don't want to win."
Kennedy, who was eliminated in the first round of voting Sunday, had seen the Libertarian nomination as a "possible pathway" to ballot access, CNN said. He's on the ballot in six states so far, versus 36 states for the Libertarians.
What next?
Third parties have "rarely been competitive" in U.S. presidential elections, and the Libertarian candidate drew 1% of the vote in 2020, The Associated Press said. But the party is "getting more attention this year" because the election "could hinge again on small vote margins in a handful of contested states."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The 8 best sci-fi series of all timethe week recommends Imagining — and fearing — the future continues to give us compelling and thoughtful television
-
The Trump administration’s plans to dismantle the Department of EducationThe Explainer The president aims to fulfill his promise to get rid of the agency
-
‘These attacks rely on a political repurposing’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Pentagon targets Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ videoSpeed Read The Pentagon threatened to recall Kelly to active duty
-
Judge tosses Trump DOJ cases against Comey, JamesSpeed Read Both cases could potentially be brought again
-
US, Kyiv report progress on shifting Ukraine peace planSpeed Read The deal ‘must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty,’ the countries said
-
Comey grand jury never saw final indictmentSpeed Read This ‘drove home just how slapdash’ the case is, said The New York Times
-
Summers out at Harvard, OpenAI amid Epstein furorSpeed Read Summers was part of a group being investigated by Harvard for Epstein ties
-
Trump ordered to fully fund SNAPSpeed Read The Justice Department is appealing the decision
-
Judge issues injunction on DHS use of forceSpeed Read Agents can only use force under the ‘immediate threat of physical harm’
