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 impartial 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 current historic second and his path ahead,” in keeping with his marketing campaign. Hours later, Trump will maintain a rally in neighboring Glendale. Trump’s marketing campaign has teased that he shall be joined by “a particular visitor,” although neither marketing campaign responded to messages about whether or not Kennedy can be that visitor.
The late-stage improvement within the presidential race might give the previous president a modest increase from Kennedy’s supporters.
A 12 months in the past, some would have thought it inconceivable {that a} member of arguably essentially 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 latest months, Kennedy has accused Trump of betraying his followers, whereas Trump has criticized Kennedy as “essentially the most radical left candidate within the race.”
The Pennsylvania submitting got here Friday in a case through which 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, “on account of immediately’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 latest weeks, in keeping 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 could possibly be open to becoming a member of forces, with the shared aim of limiting Harris’ probabilities.
Final month, in the course of the Republican Nationwide Conference, Kennedy’s son posted after which rapidly deleted a video displaying a telephone name between Kennedy and Trump, through which 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 keeping with an individual conversant in the efforts who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate non-public conversations.
Trump informed CNN on Tuesday that he would “love” an endorsement from Kennedy, whom he referred to as a “good man.” He additionally mentioned he would “definitely” be open to Kennedy enjoying a job in his administration if Kennedy drops out and endorses him.
Kennedy’s operating mate, Nicole Shanahan, additionally overtly advised on a podcast this week that his marketing campaign may “stroll away proper now and be part of forces with Donald Trump.” Whereas she clarified that she isn’t personally in talks with Trump, she entertained the concept Kennedy might be part of Trump’s administration as secretary of the Division of Well being and Human Providers.
“I feel that Bobby in a job like that will be wonderful,” Shanahan mentioned. “I absolutely assist it. I’ve excessive hopes.”
Earlier Friday, Shanahan posted on X that she isn’t a Kamala Democrat or a Trump Republican.
“I’m an INDEPENDENT American who’s endorsing concepts, not an individual or a celebration,” she wrote. “I’ll proceed working to provide a voice to the unvoiced and produce energy again to the folks.”
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 choice would actually be based mostly on who he thinks is greatest suited to run this nation,” 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 get together final fall to run as an impartial. 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 latest ruling from a New York choose 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.
Current 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 steadily don’t dwell as much as their early ballot numbers when voters really forged their ballots.
There’s some proof that Kennedy’s staying within the race would harm Trump greater than Harris. In response to a July AP-NORC ballot, Republicans have been considerably extra possible than Democrats to have a positive view of Kennedy. And people with a constructive impression of Kennedy have been considerably extra prone 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 impartial candidate drop out.
For voters who see Trump as a risk, who’re searching for a brand new method ahead, or who need “authorities to get the hell out of the way in which of their very own private choices, there’s a house for you in Kamala Harris’ marketing campaign,” Tyler mentioned.
For Trump, Friday will mark the tip of every week’s price of battleground state visits through which 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 financial system, crime and security, nationwide safety and the border. He’ll shut out the week Friday with stops in Las Vegas and Glendale.
