Forward of a deliberate speech, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s marketing campaign mentioned in a Pennsylvania courtroom submitting Friday that he’s endorsing Donald Trump for president.
Kennedy’s unbiased marketing campaign additionally requested that he be faraway from the Pennsylvania poll, although it was not instantly clear that he was formally dropping out of the race.
Kennedy had a speech deliberate in Arizona on Friday to debate “the present historical moment and his path forward,” in accordance with his marketing campaign. Hours later, Trump will maintain a rally in neighboring Glendale. Trump’s marketing campaign has teased that he can be joined by “a special guest,” although neither marketing campaign responded to messages about whether or not Kennedy can be that visitor.
The late-stage growth within the presidential race might give the previous president a modest enhance from Kennedy’s supporters.
A yr in the past, some would have thought it inconceivable {that a} member of arguably probably the most storied household in Democratic politics would work with Trump to maintain a Democrat — Vice President Kamala Harris — out of the White Home. Even in current months, Kennedy has accused Trump of betraying his followers, whereas Trump has criticized Kennedy as “the most radical left candidate in the race.”
The Pennsylvania submitting got here Friday in a case wherein Kennedy was defending his paperwork to get on the poll within the battleground state in opposition to a problem by two Democratic activists.
The submitting mentioned that, “as a result of today’s endorsement of Donald Trump” he was requesting the dismissal of his marketing campaign’s nomination papers in order that he wouldn’t seem on Pennsylvania’s poll.
The Kennedy and Trump campaigns have ramped up their compliments to one another and engaged in behind-the-scenes discussions in current weeks, in accordance with these conversant in the efforts. Each campaigns have spent months accusing Democrats of weaponizing the authorized system for their very own profit. And each have hinted publicly that they might be open to becoming a member of forces, with the shared aim of limiting Harris’ possibilities.
Final month, in the course of the Republican Nationwide Conference, Kennedy’s son posted after which rapidly deleted a video displaying a cellphone name between Kennedy and Trump, wherein the previous president appeared to attempt to discuss Kennedy into siding with him.
Talks between the 2 camps continued, with shut Trump allies quietly lobbying Kennedy to drop out of the race and assist the Republican nominee, in accordance with an individual conversant in the efforts who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate non-public conversations.
Trump advised CNN on Tuesday that he would “love” an endorsement from Kennedy, whom he known as a “brilliant guy.” He additionally mentioned he would “certainly” be open to Kennedy enjoying a task in his administration if Kennedy drops out and endorses him.
Kennedy’s operating mate, Nicole Shanahan, additionally brazenly steered on a podcast this week that his marketing campaign may “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.” Whereas she clarified that she will not be personally in talks with Trump, she entertained the concept Kennedy might be a part of Trump’s administration as secretary of the Division of Well being and Human Providers.
“I think that Bobby in a role like that would be excellent,” Shanahan mentioned. “I fully support it. I have high hopes.”
Earlier Friday, Shanahan posted on X that she isn’t a Kamala Democrat or a Trump Republican.
“I’m an INDEPENDENT American who is endorsing ideas, not a person or a party,” she wrote. “I will continue working to give a voice to the voiceless and bring power back to the people.”
At Kennedy’s Phoenix occasion, 38-year-old Casey Westerman, a Chandler, Arizona, resident who works in software program gross sales, mentioned she trusted Kennedy’s judgment and had deliberate to vote for him, however would assist Trump if Kennedy mentioned that was who he was endorsing.
“My decision would really be based on who he thinks is best suited to run this country,” mentioned Westerman, who wore a “Kennedy 2024” trucker hat and voted for Trump within the final two presidential elections.
The scheduled remarks by Kennedy, a son of former Legal professional Basic Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, come as his marketing campaign’s momentum has slipped.
Kennedy Jr. first entered the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat however left the occasion final fall to run as an unbiased. He constructed an unusually sturdy base for a third-party bid, fueled partly by anti-establishment voters and vaccine skeptics who’ve adopted his anti-vaccine work because the COVID-19 pandemic. However he has since confronted strained marketing campaign funds and mounting authorized challenges, together with a current ruling from a New York decide that he shouldn’t seem on the poll within the state as a result of he listed a “sham” deal with on nominating petitions.
Many members of Kennedy’s prolonged household have been vocal that they don’t see eye to eye politically with Kennedy Jr., and a few got here out publicly to endorse Biden earlier than he dropped out of the race.
Latest polls put his assist within the mid-single digits. And it’s unclear if he’d get even that in a normal election, since third-party candidates incessantly don’t stay as much as their early ballot numbers when voters truly forged their ballots.
There’s some proof that Kennedy’s staying within the race would damage Trump greater than Harris. In keeping with a July AP-NORC ballot, Republicans have been considerably extra probably than Democrats to have a positive view of Kennedy. And people with a optimistic impression of Kennedy have been considerably extra more likely to even have a positive view of Trump (52%) than Harris (37%).
In an interview with MSNBC on the Democratic Nationwide Conference in Chicago on Thursday, Harris communications director Michael Tyler mentioned her marketing campaign welcomes Kennedy voters ought to the unbiased candidate drop out.
For voters who see Trump as a risk, who’re in search of a brand new method ahead, or who need “government to get the hell out of the way of their own personal decisions, there’s a home for you in Kamala Harris’ campaign,” Tyler mentioned.
For Trump, Friday will mark the tip of per week’s value of battleground state visits wherein he has sought to attract consideration away from Democrats’ celebration of Harris’ presidential nomination in Chicago.
He traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona’s U.S.-Mexico border for occasions centered on his coverage proposals on the economic system, crime and security, nationwide safety and the border. He’ll shut out the week Friday with stops in Las Vegas and Glendale.
