2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE: RFK Jr. stops by ABC Columbia studios during SC campaign tour

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — While President Joe Biden is the frontrunner to win the Democratic presidential nomination, he does have competition.

One of those competitors stopped by our studios Monday afternoon, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“I think most Americans are feeling forgotten and ignored,” Kennedy said. “The people who seem to be getting attention are the people who have a tremendous amount of money.”

The 2024 Democratic presidential candidate has said during his campaign that rebuilding the middle class is one of his main goals for the country.

“Fifty-seven percent of Americans can no longer put their hands on a thousand dollars if they have an emergency,” he said. “The average income in our country is now $5,000 less than the cost of living. We’re in a crisis here in this country.”

Kennedy promises to improve Americans’ quality of life if elected president.

“I think the first thing we need to do is make housing affordable,” Kennedy said. “We are seeing young couples moving in with parents and home ownership is out of the question. Part of that is inflation. We have spent 8 trillion dollars on wars since 2001. These are wars that do not help American security or build friendships abroad.”

Instead of spending money on foreign wars, he says that money would be better spent on Americans back home, whether it’s for healthcare, childcare or higher education.

Despite having name recognition on his side, Kennedy believes his best asset is his decades of work as an environmental lawyer. 

“I know how to unravel that kind of industry capture and I’m not intimidated to do it,” Kennedy said. “I think I’m in a better position to do that than either President Trump or President Biden.”

RFK Jr continues his tour of South Carolina with stops in the Upstate on Tuesday.