Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Friday that he is suspending his presidential campaign and supporting former President Donald Trump. This decision was made during an event in Phoenix, Arizona, where Kennedy urged voters from both red and blue states to back his campaign but stated he would step aside in battleground states to avoid acting as a “spoiler.”
“I want everyone to know that I am not terminating my campaign,” he remarked. “I am simply suspending it and not ending it.”
Following his announcement, Kennedy joined Trump on stage at a rally in Glendale, Arizona. Trump pledged to form an independent commission to investigate assassination attempts and release remaining documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy detailed his motivations for entering the race, leaving the Democratic Party, and now endorsing Trump. Just before he took the stage, his campaign filed a court document in Pennsylvania indicating his endorsement of Trump. While Trump was campaigning in Nevada, he praised the endorsement, calling Kennedy a respected figure.
In response to Kennedy’s announcement, the Democratic National Committee expressed relief, with a senior adviser stating, “The more voters learned about RFK Jr. the less they liked him.” The adviser suggested that Trump was inheriting the challenges associated with Kennedy’s campaign rather than gaining support from it.
During his speech, an emotional Kennedy underscored his focus on addressing chronic illness in children, explaining that he believed aligning with Trump was the best path to promote this cause. “If President Trump is elected and honors his word, the vast burden of chronic disease that now demoralizes and bankrupts the country will disappear,” he stated.
Despite concerns from some in his inner circle regarding the endorsement, a source indicated that there was genuine interest on Trump’s part to address the issue of chronic disease, leading to a strong connection between the two.
Kennedy, who began his presidential journey as a Democrat in April 2023 to challenge President Joe Biden, eventually left the party and became an independent candidate. His controversial views on vaccines and COVID-19 had strained his relationships within the Democratic Party, and even his family members had voiced their disapproval of his stance.
On the same day as his endorsement, five of Kennedy’s siblings released a statement supporting Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. They described Kennedy’s choice to endorse Trump as a betrayal of their family values, stating it was a “sad ending to a sad story.”