- Details
- By Neely Bardwell
Native Vote 2024. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who was running for president as an Independent, announced on Friday afternoon at a news conference in Arizona that he has suspended his presidential campaign.
He then endorsed former President Donald Trump, who praised Kennedy in an appearance on Fox News on Thursday. Kennedy said he met with Trump and his aides several times and learned they agreed on issues like border security, free speech and ending wars.
"There are still many issues and approaches on which we continue to have very serious differences. But we are aligned on other key issues," Kennedy said at a news conference
Kennedy said he would remove his name from the ballot in 10 battleground states likely to determine the outcome of the election but would remain as a candidate in other states. This comes after his support continually dropped in polls. A Reuters/Ipsos poll early this month showed his national support had fallen to 4 percent.
Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump was first revealed in a court filing the campaign made in Pennsylvania ahead of remarks he made in Arizona. The court filing was first reported by The Associated Press.The campaign requested that he be removed from the Pennsylvania ballot, though it wasn’t immediately clear that he was officially dropping out of the race. Shortly after, he sought to be removed from Arizona’s ballot.
Kennedy says the decision to back Trump is “a difficult sacrifice for my wife and children.” His wife, the actress Cheryl Hines, has privately expressed concern about a potential endorsement, a New York Times reporter was told by several people close to Kennedy.
Earlier on Friday, Kennedy was polling about 5% of the vote nationwide. While Kennedy endorsed Trump, it is not clear if his supporters will automatically vote for Trump.
Wanting their votes, Harris-Walz 2024 Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon released this statement late Friday afternnon:
“For any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward, ours is a campaign for you. In order to deliver for working people and those who feel left behind, we need a leader who will fight for you, not just for themselves, and bring us together, not tear us apart. Vice President Harris wants to earn your support.
“Even if we do not agree on every issue, Kamala Harris knows there is more that unites us than divides us: respect for our rights, public safety, protecting our freedoms, and opportunity for all.”
Five of Kennedy’s siblings have released a statement on Instagram saying his decision to endorse Trump “is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.” His siblings, who have publicly disavowed his campaign since last year, conclude their statement: “It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
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