The independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign for the 2024 elections and endorsed the Republican presidential nomination of Donald Trump on Friday, in the latest shift in a rapidly changing election campaign.
The 70-year-old politician, son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of the former president John F. Kennedyboth assassinated in the 1960s, had less than 5% of the electorate’s support, according to polls.
“I am not ending my campaign, I am simply suspending it and not ending it. My name will remain on the ballot in most states,” although not in the key states that could determine who will win the election on November 5, he explained.
In a speech that lasted almost an hour, Kennedy said that it was extremely difficult for him to make this decision, which is causing “difficulties” for his wife, his children and his friends, but that he made it because the Republican had promised him that if he becomes president he would let him fight for his leitmotif: ending chronic diseases such as diabetes.
“If President Trump is elected and honors his word, the enormous burden of chronic disease that is now demoralizing and bankrupting the country will disappear,” he pointed out, implying that the Republican has promised him some position related to public health, if he comes to power.
“If I am given the opportunity to solve the chronic disease crisis and reform our food production, I promise that within two years, we will see the burden of chronic disease dramatically reduced. We will make Americans healthy again,” he said.
Kennedy Jr.’s confusing electoral career
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began his campaign to be elected President in the Democratic Party. In April of last year he presented himself as the alternative to President Joe Biden, and announced his aspirations to be the Democratic candidate, a decision that did not sit well with members of her own family, who harshly criticized her.
In October, he announced that he was leaving the Democratic Party to seek election to the White House as an independent, as an alternative for those who were unhappy with traditional politicians.
And recently, he decided to enter into talks with Donald Trump that have been rumored to result in a position in the former president’s cabinet, if Trump is re-elected.
Trump announces he will discuss Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Friday thanked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his electoral support after suspending his presidential campaign.
“I want to thank Bobby. It was a very nice thing he did and it was really important. He is a great guy, respected by everyone,” Trump said at a campaign event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“It’s important,” he said, but speaking to reporters after the event, He declined to say whether he would offer Kennedy a role in his administration if he is elected in November..
Trump, who has another campaign event in neighboring Arizona tonight, announced that will talk more about that support from Kennedy Jr., who had led an independent candidacy, during that event.
“I’m going to talk about that. We’re leaving right after this. We’re going to go to Arizona. We’ll talk about that and a lot of other things as well,” Trump said.
Coincidentally, Kennedy Jr. is in Arizona, where he announced his campaign suspension and support for Trump, so it would not be surprising if he participated in the Republican event tonight.
Kennedy Jr.’s family considers it “betrayal” that he supports Trump
On Friday, members of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s extended family called his endorsement of Donald Trump a “betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.”
“We want an America filled with hope and united by a shared vision of a brighter future,” wrote Kerry Kennedy in a statement along with four of Kennedy’s siblings. “We believe in Harris and Walz. Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values our father and our family hold most dear.”
“It’s a sad ending to a sad story,” they added.
Kerry Kennedy, who heads the Robert F. Kennedy human rights organization, wrote the statement along with four brothers: Courtney Kennedy, Chris Kennedy, Rory Kennedy and the former lieutenant governor of Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (democrat).
RFK Jr. is the third-eldest son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The Kennedy family has been a pillar of the Democratic Party since John F. Kennedy became president.
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