Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy announced he is suspending his campaign on Friday, Aug. 23. The twist comes after many speculated that the third-party candidate would drop out of the race on Friday. However, RFK Jr. also threw his support behind former President Donald Trump.
“My name will remain on the ballot in most states,” Kennedy said. “If you live in a blue state, you can still vote for me without harming or helping President Trump or Vice President Harris.”
Although he’s not dropping out of the race, RFK Jr. said he is withdrawing his nomination from any swing state where he could have an impact.
“In about 10 battleground states, where my pressure would be a spoiler, I’m going to remove my name, and I’ve already started that process and urge voters to not vote for me,” Kennedy said.
RFK Jr. said his reasons for supporting Trump relate to the Republican candidate’s stance on the war in Ukraine, free speech and “the war on children.” Kennedy said he made his decision after a phone call with Trump shortly following the attempted assassination of the GOP nominee for president in July.
However, Kennedy said he believed that he would have won the presidential election in “an honest system.” He also claimed censorship and difficulties filing as a third-party candidate makes it nearly impossible to win. Kennedy has filed requests to be taken off the ballot in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
There was reaction to RFK Jr.’s decision almost immediately after he made his announcement, including from his siblings, who issued a statement following the endorsement of former President Trump.
“Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear,” the statement read. “It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
In the statement, the Kennedy siblings also expressed their support for Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for vice president in 2024. As for former President Trump, he acknowledged the endorsement and thanked RFK Jr. for his support.
“I want to thank Bobby,” Trump said. “That was really nice.”
