On Friday (August 23), independent candidate in the United States, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced his withdrawal from the presidential race and endorsed the Republican candidate, Trump.
Kennedy spoke in Arizona on Friday. He mentioned that he had met with Trump and his aides multiple times and had reached a consensus on issues such as border security, freedom of speech, and ending wars.
“In many issues and approaches, we still have serious disagreements. But we are united on other key issues,” Kennedy said at a press conference.
His decision to end his struggling presidential campaign came as a surprise to many. It remains unclear how much of an impact his endorsement will have on Trump and to what extent. Trump will compete against the Democratic presidential candidate, Harris, for the chance to enter the White House on November 5.
Earlier on Friday, Kennedy stated in a court filing submitted in Pennsylvania that he would support Trump.
During the press conference in Arizona, Kennedy indicated that he would remove his name from the ballots in 10 battleground states that could determine the election outcome but would continue as a candidate in other states.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and the nephew of former Democratic President John F. Kennedy, is the son of the prominent political figure, Democratic Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Kennedy initially entered the 2024 election as a Democrat before transitioning to an independent candidate. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll in November 2023, Kennedy garnered 20% support in a three-way competition with Biden and Trump.
By mid-July, Kennedy’s support had dropped to around 8%. With Biden stepping down and passing the baton to Harris, Kennedy’s average poll support plummeted to 5% in just a few days.
An August poll by Ipsos revealed that Kennedy’s national support had decreased to 4%. Reuters pointed out that while this is a small figure, it could still hold significance in the intense Trump-Harris showdown.
Kennedy’s withdrawal and endorsement have introduced more uncertainty into the 2024 election, adding another twist to the already contentious race.
Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination on Thursday. During the Democratic National Convention, members of the Kennedy family came forward to voice their support for Harris.
Following Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump, several Kennedy family members issued a joint statement declaring their support for Harris.
At a campaign event in Las Vegas, Trump celebrated Kennedy’s support. “I want to thank Bobby (referring to Kennedy). That’s great,” Trump said. “He’s a great guy, respected by all.”
Democrats, however, remained unimpressed with Kennedy’s withdrawal.
Mary Beth Cahill, a senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee, stated in a release, “Trump didn’t receive an endorsement that helps build support; he inherited the baggage of a failing fringe candidate.”
William Rosenberg, a political science professor at Dresden University, suggested that given Kennedy’s low polling numbers, his move is unlikely to have a significant impact on the race.
“If he had done this three months ago, perhaps it would have had a different effect,” Rosenberg said.
Polling expert Tony Fabrizio, in an analysis, believed that in battleground states, Kennedy’s supporters would be more inclined to support Trump rather than Harris.
“This is good news for President Trump and his campaign,” Fabrizio wrote in a statement.
A member of Kennedy’s Super PAC informed Reuters on Wednesday that Kennedy is hoping to secure a position in the Trump administration.
(Partial information in this article is based on reports from Reuters.)