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Reuters

Associated Press

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jnr said on Friday he would suspend his campaign, and endorsed Republican Donald Trump, likely ending a presidential bid that he began as a Democrat trading on one of the most famous names in American politics.
Hours later, Kennedy joined Trump onstage at an Arizona rally, where the crowd burst into “Bobby!” cheers.
His campaign indicated that he feared staying in the race would siphon support from former US president Trump, who is locked in a tight contest with Democratic US Vice-President Kamala Harris ahead of the November 5 election.
An environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist and son and nephew of two titans of Democratic politics who were assassinated during the turbulent 1960s, Kennedy entered the race in April 2023 as a challenger to US President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.
With voters at the time turned off by both the ageing Biden and the legally embattled Trump, interest in Kennedy soared.
He shifted his plans and decided to run as an independent, and a November 2023 Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Kennedy drawing the support of 20 per cent of Americans in a three-way race with Biden and Trump.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Address to the Nation https://t.co/Wf4xt12GSX
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 23, 2024

He ran a high-profile advertisement during the February 2024 Super Bowl that invoked his father, US Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, US President John F. Kennedy, and drew outrage from much of his high-profile family, who condemned his campaign.
For a time, both the Biden and Trump campaigns showed signs they were worried that Kennedy could draw enough support to change the election outcome.
He faced an uphill battle in winning spots on the ballot as an independent but secured key positions including in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and North Carolina – half of the competitive swing states expected to determine the election’s outcome.
But as the race changed quickly in the last two months – with Trump surviving an assassination attempt and the 81-year-old Biden bowing to pressure from his own party and passing the campaign torch to Harris – voter interest in Kennedy, 70, waned.
An Ipsos poll early this month showed his national support had fallen to 4 per cent, a tiny number, but one that could still be meaningful in a tight race such as the current Trump-Harris match-up.
His campaign had signalled over the past few days that a change was coming, as Kennedy set his Phoenix address.
His running mate Nicole Shanahan said in an interview earlier that if the pair stayed in the race as independents, they could ultimately boost Harris’ chances.


In exchange for endorsing Trump, Kennedy was hoping for a job in a potential Trump administration, a super PAC supporting Kennedy said on Wednesday. He also wanted Trump to allow his political movement to continue in some fashion, which could include staying on the ballot in some states.
Kennedy painted himself as a political outsider. He said in an interview in March that if elected president he would not restrict abortion, would repeal many provisions of Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act and would seek to close down the southern border to immigrants entering the US illegally. He also offered staunch support for Israel.
Trump mega-donor Timothy Mellon, an 82-year-old banking heir, has given millions of dollars this election cycle in support of Kennedy, and given US$75 million in support of Trump, according to Federal Election Commission filings through July 31.
Shanahan has donated over US$15 million to the Kennedy campaign, FEC filings showed.
In a video of a phone call posted online last month, Trump suggested to Kennedy that the independent candidate could do something to support the Trump campaign. Soon after, both candidates spoke a day apart from each other at a bitcoin conference in Nashville, trying to court votes.

Looking forward to seeing how you spin this one, @NewYorker… pic.twitter.com/G13taEGzba
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 4, 2024

Kennedy said this month in a video posted online that he dumped a dead bear in New York’s Central Park a decade ago and staged it to look like a bike had hit it.
He proclaimed he had “so many skeletons in my closet” after a former family babysitter accused him of sexual assault. He denied that a picture of him posing with the barbecued carcass of a large animal belonged to a canine.
And then there was the brain worm. Kennedy had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has since fully recovered, a fact unearthed by The New York Times and confirmed by the campaign.
Those stories prompted ridicule from late-night talk show hosts.
The Democratic Party especially has been ruthless in their opposition to Kennedy’s candidacy including waging legal challenges against his ballot access, as concern grew that Kennedy could hurt the party’s chances in November.
Additional reporting from the Associated Press


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US presidential election 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jnr suspends US presidential campaign, endorses Donald Trump

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jnr makes an announcement on the future of his campaign in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

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US Vice-President Kamala Harris addressing the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday, accepting her party’s presidential nomination. Photo: AFP

Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz reacts to audience members as he speaks to  the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Photo: San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Trump threatens huge tariffs on countries that don’t accept deported migrants

Former president Donald Trump speaks at the US-Mexico border in Arizona on August 22. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Robert F. Kennedy Jnr says he dumped a dead bear in New York’s Central Park as a prank

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jnr. File photo: AP

RFK Jnr accused of sexual assault and posing with barbecued dog in explosive magazine article

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jnr during a campaign event in West Hollywood, California on Thursday. Photo: AP

Kennedy Jnr during a campaign rally in Royal Oak, Michigan. Photo: The Detroit News / TNS

Supporters of Kennedy take part in a protest on the day of the first 2024 presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia on June 27. Photo: Reuters

US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jnr says he thinks worm ate part of his brain

Robert F. Kennedy Jnr speaks during a press conference in New York on May 1. Photo: Reuters

Pins are displayed during a campaign event with Robert F. Kennedy Jnr in Royal Oak, Michigan, in April. Photo: Bloomberg

Supporters of US President Joe Biden hold signs outside a campaign event with Robert F. Kennedy Jnr in Royal Oak, Michigan in April. Photo: Bloomberg

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In exchange for supporting the Republican candidate, Kennedy is hoping for a job in a potential Trump administration


In exchange for supporting the Republican candidate, Kennedy is hoping for a job in a potential Trump administration.
