Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. suspended his independent presidential campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump but remains on the ballot of states that aren’t considered tossups as he doesn’t want to help Democrats.
At an announcement made Friday afternoon, the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy said that he was suspending his campaign but was not officially dropping out.
He praised the efforts of his campaign volunteers, saying that they “pulled off a miracle” by getting so many signatures to advance his campaign on state ballots.
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Kennedy accused the Democratic Party of “dismantling” democracy, citing as examples Vice President Kamala Harris getting the nomination without getting any primary votes and “lawfare” efforts against himself and Republican presidential hopeful Trump.
RFK Jr. called the Democratic National Convention “a highly produced Chicago circus” more about hating Trump than laying out a candidate with a clear agenda.
“Are we really still a role model for democracy in this country?” Kennedy asked, saying he did not want to be a “spoiler” who would help Democrats win states in November.
Kennedy said that he did support Trump’s campaign, having met with the Republican nominee in Florida and engaged in extensive conversations about policies.
Kennedy said he is “aligned on many key issues” like protecting free speech, securing the border, fighting chronic disease among children, and antiwar efforts.
Kennedy said he attempted to reach out to Harris to find similar common ground efforts. However, the Democrat’s campaign refused to meet with him.
Shortly before he made his speech, The Associated Press reported that Kennedy stated in a court filing in Pennsylvania that he was endorsing Trump and was asking to be removed from the state ballot.
Before running for president, the nephew of President John F. Kennedy was well-known for his environmental activism and advocating for transparency regarding the long-term safety of vaccines.
Kennedy originally planned to run as a primary challenger to incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden. Last October, he decided to run as an independent candidate instead.
In March, Kennedy announced that Nicole Shanahan, a 38-year-old California-based technology entrepreneur and patent attorney, would be his vice presidential running mate.
During his campaign, Kennedy expressed pro-choice views on abortion, although the extent to which he wanted abortion to be legal has changed in recent times.
In May, for example, Kennedy had initially stated support for abortions throughout the term of a pregnancy, only to later walk back such a stance to include more limits on the procedure.
“I support the emerging consensus that abortion should be unrestricted up until a certain point. I believe that point should be when the baby is viable outside the womb,” he tweeted at the time.
“We can reduce abortion across the board by supporting motherhood, supporting parents, and supporting families. Soon, we’ll unveil our plan for universally affordable child care, which will cap child care expenses at 10% for most families.”
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Kennedy was planning to drop out and that he would endorse Trump, possibly in return for receiving a position in his administration should he win.
In a story published Wednesday, for example, ABC News cited “sources familiar with the decision,” which indicated that he was “planning to drop out of the presidential race by the end of this week” and “plans to endorse Donald Trump.”
On Friday morning, The Associated Press reported that Kennedy withdrew from the Arizona ballot, with the possibility that he would join Trump at a campaign event.
According to a report by NBC News released in advance of the announcement, RFK Jr. leaving the race would benefit Trump more than Harris, as polling indicated that Republican voters viewed him more positively than Democrats or independents.
