In a surprising turn of events, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the independent presidential candidate, has declared his endorsement for former President Donald Trump, as reported by The Associated Press.
This unexpected announcement came on Friday, as Kennedy's campaign requested Pennsylvania to remove him from the ballot, according to the court filing. However, the filing did not explicitly state whether Kennedy would be suspending his campaign.
As reported by Fox News, Kennedy, a former Democrat, made this announcement in Phoenix, just a few hours before Trump was scheduled to hold a campaign event in nearby Glendale, Arizona. The Trump campaign had previously advertised that a "special guest" would join the former President, which further fueled speculation about Kennedy's endorsement of the Republican 2024 presidential nominee.
This announcement is likely to mark the end of Kennedy's presidential run. The environmental activist and prominent vaccine skeptic, who belongs to one of the country's most renowned political dynasties, had launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in April of last year. However, in October, the 70-year-old candidate switched to an independent run for the White House.
Despite his long-standing identification as a Democrat and frequent references to his late father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, both assassinated in the 1960s, Kennedy has recently built relationships with far-right leaders. This shift has been met with criticism from President Biden's campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC), who have repeatedly portrayed Kennedy as a potential spoiler whose supporters could hand Trump a presidential election victory in November.
The DNC has been at odds with Kennedy and his supporters at nearly every turn as he strived to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states. Despite these challenges, Kennedy remained a persistent issue for Biden, from last year through the President's announcement last month that he was ending his re-election bid and endorsing Harris.
The Trump campaign, which had initially supported Kennedy when he was running against Biden as a Democrat, began criticizing him after he switched to an independent run, labeling him a member of the "radical left" and criticizing his environmental activism. However, the relationship between Kennedy and Trump began to improve earlier this year, and the two had a conversation last month following the assassination attempt against Trump.
Earlier this week, Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy's running mate, made headlines by suggesting in a podcast interview that the campaign was contemplating whether to "join forces" with Trump to prevent Vice President Kamala Harris from winning the 2024 election.
Trump, in an interview on "Fox & Friends," expressed his appreciation for the endorsement, stating, "If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place." Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Trump's running mate, echoed this sentiment, expressing his hope that Kennedy "endorses the President, gets on the team, because this is about saving the country."
Kennedy's exit from the race comes at a time when his campaign was faltering. His last public event was on July 9, in Freeport, Maine, and his poll numbers, which once stood in the teens, had dwindled. The most recent Fox News national poll, conducted August 9-12, showed Kennedy at 6% support. His fundraising efforts were also dwindling, with campaign finance reports indicating he had just $3.9 million cash on hand as of the start of July, with nearly $3.5 million in debt.
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