Hours later, Kennedy joined Trump onstage at an Arizona rally, where the crowd burst into “Bobby!” cheers.
Kennedy took the stage moments later, aired his grievances with the Democratic Party, the news media and political institutions, and extolled Trump.
At Kennedy’s Phoenix event, 38-year-old Casey Westerman said she trusted Kennedy’s judgment and had planned to vote for him, but would support Trump if Kennedy endorsed him.
Kennedy first entered the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat but left the party last fall to run as an independent.
At Trump’s event in Las Vegas, Alida Roberts, 49, said Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump spoke volumes about the current state of the Democratic Party.
Recent polls put Kennedy’s support in the mid-single digits, and it’s unclear if he’d get even that in a general election.
There’s some evidence that Kennedy’s staying in the race would hurt Trump more than Harris.
And those with a positive impression of Kennedy were significantly more likely to also have a favorable view of Trump (52%) than Harris (37%).
AP Photo: Robert F. Kennedy Sr. put a halt to his independent presidential campaign on Friday and endorsed Donald Trump, a late-round maneuver in the contest that may have given the former president a slight advantage from Kennedy faithful.
Soon after Kennedy joined Trump on stage at a rally in Arizona, the audience erupted in cheers of “Bobby!”.
Kennedy claimed that his internal polls demonstrated that his entry into the contest would disadvantage Trump and benefit Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. However, recent public polls do not conclusively show that he is significantly influencing the level of support for either major-party candidate.
Among the reasons Kennedy gave for trying to have his name taken off the ballot in battleground states were free speech, the conflict in Ukraine, and “a war on our children.”.
“These are the main reasons I decided to run as an independent, abandon the Democratic Party, and now support President Trump,” Kennedy stated during his Phoenix event.
But he was clear that he was not officially withdrawing from the race, and he said that his supporters could keep supporting him in the majority of the states where they would not likely affect the result. Late this week, Kennedy moved to withdraw his candidacy in at least two states: Arizona and Pennsylvania. However, election officials in Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin, where Kennedy is expected to win big, said it would be too late for him to remove his name from the ballot, even if he so chooses.
Kennedy claimed that his actions came after talks he had had with Trump in the previous few weeks. As a coalition that would “allow us to disagree publicly and privately and seriously,” he portrayed their partnership as “a unity party.”. Kennedy said Trump had made him an offer to work if he went back to the White House, but neither he nor Trump provided any specifics.
This week, Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s running mate, expressed interest in the possibility that Kennedy would join Trump’s team as the department of health and human services secretary.
The announcement put an end to days of conjecture and was met with a deluge of contradictory statements from Kennedy’s advisors and supporters, serving as a symbolic crown for an outrageous campaign.
His campaign had announced that he would be supporting Trump for president in a Pennsylvania court filing just prior to his speech in Phoenix. Kennedy’s spokesman, though, claimed that the court filing was incorrect and that the attorney who wrote it promised to fix it. Shortly after, Kennedy took the stage to praise Trump and air his grievances with the Democratic Party, the news media, and political institutions. Before making it clear that he was endorsing Trump, he talked for almost 20 minutes.
Later, Kennedy joined Trump on stage at a Turning Point Action-cohosted rally in Glendale, where Trump’s campaign had hinted he would be joined by “a special guest”. “.
When Kennedy entered the stage to the sound of Foo Fighters and fireworks, he was met with thunderous applause. Trump had introduced Kennedy as “a man who has been an incredible champion for so many of these values that we all share.”. “.
Kennedy “raised critical issues that have been too long ignored in this country,” Trump later praised, adding, “We are both in this to do what’s right for the country.”. “.
Kennedy was not far away when Trump made reference to his late father and uncle, John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy asserting that he is aware “that they are looking down and they are incredibly proud at the moment.”. “.
If he wins this fall, he promised to create a new commission on presidential assassination attempts that is independent and will make available all of the remaining records pertaining to John F. The killing of Kennedy.
And he reiterated his promise to form a committee to look into the rise in childhood illnesses and chronic health issues, such as autoimmune disorders, autism, obesity, and infertility, “working with Bobby.”.
That a member of arguably the most famous family in Democratic politics would collaborate with Trump to prevent a Democrat from winning the presidency would have seemed unthinkable just a year ago. Kennedy has even accused Trump of betraying his supporters in recent months, and Trump has responded by denouncing Kennedy as “the most radical left candidate in the race.”. “.
In a statement released on Friday, five Kennedy family members reiterated their support for Harris while referring to Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump as “a sad ending to a sad story.”.
The statement, which his sister Kerry Kennedy posted on X, said, “Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.”.
Kennedy, Jr. said he had strained relations with his family as a result of his choice to support Trump. His wife, actress Cheryl Hines, did not comment on Trump’s endorsement on X, but she did write on X that she greatly respects her husband’s decision to drop out.
Kennedy remarked, “I am in agony over this decision because of the difficulties it causes my wife, my children, and my friends.”. But I’m positive that this is my calling in life. Even in storms, I feel at peace within because of that certainty. “.
In a statement, Jen O’Malley Dillon, the chair of Harris’ campaign, said that Harris hoped to win over Kennedy’s supporters who are “weary of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward.”.
Casey Westerman, 38, stated during Kennedy’s Phoenix event that she would support Trump if Kennedy endorsed him and that she trusted Kennedy’s judgment.
Westerman, who wore a “Kennedy 2024” trucker hat and supported Trump in the previous two presidential elections, stated, “My decision would really be based on who he thinks is best suited to run this country.”.
Kennedy entered the 2024 presidential contest as a Democrat initially, but he switched to running as an independent last fall. After the COVID-19 pandemic, he developed an exceptionally strong base for a third-party campaign, helped in part by anti-establishment voters and vaccine skeptics who had followed his anti-vaccine work. However, he has since had to deal with tight campaign funds and escalating legal issues.
Alida Roberts, 49, said at Trump’s Las Vegas event that Kennedy’s support for Trump said a lot about the Democratic Party’s current situation.
“That implies that he lacks confidence in current events, as it is not the same party he was raised in,” Roberts stated.
Roberts said she had been “teeter-tottering” between the two candidates and was relieved and thrilled to receive the endorsement. Roberts voted twice for Trump.
Kennedy’s support is currently in the mid-single digits according to polls, and it’s doubtful that he would receive even that in a general election.
There is evidence to suggest that Trump would suffer more from Kennedy’s continued participation in the contest than from Harris. Republicans were noticeably more likely than Democrats to think favorably of Kennedy, per an AP-NORC poll conducted in July. Furthermore, those who felt favorably about Kennedy were substantially more likely than Harris (37 percent) to feel the same way about Trump (52%).
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