Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday and endorsed the Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump.
Kennedy listed free speech, the war in Ukraine and the childhood health epidemic as the reasons why he was backing Trump.
RFK Jr. noted that he began his presidential bid as a Democrat, the party of his father Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and former President John Kennedy.
He said the first Democratic convention he attended was in 1960, at JFK’s event in Los Angeles, when it was the party of the Constitution, civil rights, as well as being against authoritarianism, censorship, and unjust wars, and for labor and the working class.
In short, it “was the party of democracy,” he said.
Kennedy said he left the party last October “because it had departed so dramatically from the core values that I grew up with.”
Further, he argued Democrats effectively cancelled the Democratic primary in order to “conceal the decline of the sitting president.”
#BREAKING: Robert F. Kennedy endorses Donald Trump, “suspends” his campaign, is removing his name from the swing states but remaining in “red” or “blue” states
“Now, [I am throwing] my support to President Trump.” pic.twitter.com/Ez8MAuXnkD
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) August 23, 2024
Are you voting for Trump?
Yes: 99% (803 Votes)
No: 1% (8 Votes)
The Democratic National Committee dragged him into court in multiple states to try and block him from getting on the ballot, but despite that, Kennedy succeeded in a majority of states.
“I’ve made the heart-wrenching decision to suspend my campaign and to support President Trump,” Kennedy said Friday.
“In my heart, I no longer believe I have a realistic path to electoral victory in the face of this relentless systematic censorship and media control,” he said.
But he added, “I want everyone to know that I am not terminating my campaign, but I am simply suspending it and not ending it. My name will remain on the ballot in most states.”
He does plan to remove his name from the ballot in 10 battleground states, however, in order to hinder the Democrats.
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The expectation of an RFK Jr. endorsement for Trump had been building during the week after Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, suggested the possibility in a podcast published Tuesday. She made it clear the move was to reduce the risk of a victory by Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“We draw more votes from Trump,” she explained.
Shanahan said that they could “join forces with Donald Trump…and explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”
The Real Clear Polling average shows Harris with a 2 percent lead nationally over Trump (46.4 to 44.4 percent), with RFK Jr. pulling 5 percent of the vote.
Newsweek reported, despite Kennedy’s liberal views on some issues like the environment and abortion, he is drawing more voters from Trump than Harris based on recent surveys conducted by New York Times/Siena College and Emerson College.
Would-be Trump voters likely resonate with Kennedy’s views on border security, foreign wars, and the rule of law.
In the Times survey, 41 percent of respondents said they would back Trump and 27 percent said they would vote for Harris in a two-way race.
Emerson College reportedly found the breakdown was 64 percent for Trump and 36 percent for Harris in a two-way contest.
In the Times survey, 41 percent of respondents said they would back Trump and 27 percent said they would vote for Harris in a two-way race.
On Tuesday, Trump stated that he would be honored to receive Kennedy’s endorsement and consider him for a position in his administration, if the Republican should win in November.
Local reporting suggests that Kennedy may attend a Turning Point Action rally where Trump is speaking, perhaps to endorse him in person.
SOON @RobertKennedyJr will reveal ‘path forward’ in PHX at 11am-ish AZ time. @12News has learned PHXPD is preparing to escort Kennedy afterward to Trump rally in Glendale AZ. Sitting in front row for RFK event: GOP State Sen. Wendy Rogers “here to see history.” pic.twitter.com/Zms2UM7ktS
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) August 23, 2024
KPNX-TV political reporter Braham Resnik posted on X he had “learned [the Phoenix Police Department] is preparing to escort Kennedy” to the Trump rally in Glendale, Arizona.
