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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Friday that he is suspending his long-shot presidential campaign and threw his support behind Donald Trump.
“In my heart, I no longer believe I have a realistic path to an electoral victory,” Kennedy said. “I am not terminating my campaign. I am simply suspending it.”
His name will remain on the ballot in most states, but will be removed in about 10 battleground states where he said, “My presence would be a spoiler.”
The independent candidate dropped to below 5% support in August, after polling at roughly 10% across battleground states just a few months ago.
In his speech in Arizona, Kennedy railed against the Democratic party and the media. “In an honest system, I believe I would have won the election,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump is an unexpected turn for a member of one of America’s most prominent Democratic dynasties. He initially started running for president last year as a Democrat, and more than a dozen members of his family came out in support of US President Joe Biden before he dropped out.
After RFK Jr.‘s announcement Friday, members of the Kennedy family called his Trump endorsement a “betrayal to the values that our father and our family hold most dear,” adding, “We believe in [Kamala] Harris and [Tim] Walz.”
The Trump campaign spent weeks in discussions with the Kennedy team about a potential endorsement, The New York Times reported. Earlier this week, Trump told CNN he was “certainly” open to giving Kennedy a role in the administration if he endorses Trump.
“My joining the Trump campaign will be a difficult sacrifice for my wife and children, but worthwhile if there’s even a small chance of saving these kids,” Kennedy said Friday, referring to children impacted by chronic disease — one of his core campaign issues.
Trump thanked Kennedy for his endorsement while speaking at a campaign event in Las Vegas. “That’s big,” Trump said. “He’s a great guy, respected by everybody.”
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Kennedy bolted the Democratic Party 10 months ago, hoping that voters depressed by a Joe Biden/Donald Trump rematch would flock to a credible independent candidate. But he’d declined in polls even before Biden quit the race, and cratered afterward, as Democrats frustrated with their ticket got excited about the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz reboot.
Democrats also worked all year to undermine Kennedy with their voters, highlighting his most conservative comments in interviews and going to court when he filed for state ballot access. Kennedy scored some early victories, gaining automatic candidate status in Michigan and California when currently-existing minor parties endorsed him.
But he was blocked from the New York ballot after a Democratic-backed challenge to his residency, and Democrats believed that their work – and a collapse in donations to the candidate – succeeded in wrecking a man they considered a MAGA chaos agent.
It remains unclear how big of an impact Kennedy’s campaign suspension will have on the presidential race, but some recent polls show his supporters may be more likely to vote for Trump than Harris.
Kennedy’s campaign had faltered in recent months, running low on funds, struggling to get on the ballot in key states, and sliding down in the polls.
His colorful run for office has been dotted with unusual moments, from the candidate saying doctors had found a parasitic worm in his brain to his admission that he had once dumped a dead bear in New York’s Central Park.