Kennedy is withdrawing from the ballot in battleground states.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Aug. 23 that he’s supporting former President Donald Trump, after a court filing from his campaign said he was endorsing the Republican nominee.
Kennedy, 70, said during a speech in Arizona that he was “throw[ing] my support at President Donald Trump.”
The document was filed in a case challenging whether Kennedy should be on the November ballot in Pennsylvania and was published ahead of the address Kennedy delivered.
Kennedy, 70, said in the speech that he was withdrawing his name from ballots in battleground states “where my presence would be a spoiler.”
He urged voters in those states not to vote for him and suspended his campaign.
Related Stories
Kennedy had been running as an independent presidential candidate after initially launching a 2024 bid as a Democrat.
At the same time, Kennedy said his name would remain on ballots in the rest of the states and that voters could pick him over Trump, 78, and Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, if they live in those states.
“If you live in a blue state, you can vote for me without harming or helping President Trump or Vice President Harris. In red states, the same will apply,” he said.
Later Friday, Trump is slated to hold a rally in Glendale, Arizona with a “special guest,” his campaign said.
A Trump campaign spokesman did not respond when asked whether Kennedy will be that guest. Kennedy’s campaign did not return an inquiry seeking confirmation regarding whether he will be attending Trump’s rally.
Trump has said he would welcome an endorsement from Kennedy.
“That would be a great honor for me,” Trump told reporters in Arizona on Thursday.
In a July phone conversation that was partially leaked by Kennedy’s son, Trump was recorded telling Kennedy that he “would love you to do something.”
“And I think it’ll be so good for you and so big for you,“ he added, without providing further context. ”And we’re going to win.”
Kennedy said in Friday’s speech that Trump asked him to be part of a Trump administration and that he’s met with him multiple times since Trump was shot in an assassination attempt.
“I was surprised to discover that we are aligned on many key issues,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy on Thursday officially withdrew from the Arizona ballot, and in Friday’s filing asked to be removed from the Pennsylvania ballot.
Kennedy during his speech decried how Democrats refused to hold debates, instead aligning behind President Joe Biden before Biden dropped out of the race and then nominating Vice President Kamala Harris without a primary. Kennedy also criticized the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for backing lawsuits in a number of states, including New York, aimed at getting him removed from ballots.
“Each time that our volunteers turned in those towering boxes of signatures needed to get on the ballot, the DNC dragged us into court … attempting to erase their work and to subvert the will of the voters who had signed those petitions,” he said.
This is a breaking story that will be updated.
Jeff Louderback, Janice Hisle, and John Haughey contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
Running For Office? Conservative Campaign Consulting – Election Day Strategies!