Robert F Kennedy Jr has announced that he is suspending his independent candidacy for the presidency of the United States and is supporting the campaign of Donald Trump.
70-year-old Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat and scion of the Kennedy dynasty, said the principles that led him to leave the party had forced him to “give my support to President Trump”.
He insisted at a press conference in Arizona that he would not withdraw and would keep his name on the ballot in states where it would not affect the race.
In his reaction, Trump, the Republican nominee, said the endorsement was “very nice … he’s a great guy,” while his Democratic rival Kamala Harris said he would “earn” the support of Kennedy voters.
His poll numbers fell after peaking in the double digits as funding and national coverage declined.
In February, he aired a high-profile ad during the Super Bowl that invoked his father, US Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, sparking widespread outrage from his family.
Kerry Kennedy, his sister, said his support for Trump was a “betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
Kennedy said Trump’s insistence that he could end the war in Ukraine by negotiating with Russia “alone would justify my support for his campaign.”
“There are still many issues and approaches on which we continue to have very serious differences. But we are aligned on other key issues.”
He said he would remove his name from ten states where his presence would be an obstacle to Trump’s efforts. He has already withdrawn from the key states of Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Kennedy said he began his campaign “as a Democrat, the party of my father, my uncle… the champions of the Constitution” but left because “it had become the party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big money”.
He hinged his decision to suspend his campaign on “media control” and his former party’s efforts to thwart his run, adding: “In my heart I no longer believe I have a realistic path to victory in the face of relentless and systematic censorship”.
According to the Associated Press, Kennedy had about 14 to 16 percent of the vote in the polls at his peak. However, his approval rating has dropped to the single digits since Harris became the Democratic nominee.
He said during his press conference that he offered to work with Harris and her White House bid. Democrats paid little attention to his announcement.
“Donald Trump isn’t earning an endorsement that’s going to help build support, he’s inheriting the baggage of a failed fringe candidate. Good riddance,” Democratic National Committee senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill said in a statement.
Kennedy frequently touted his leadership of the Children’s Health Defence Organization, formerly known as the World Mercury Project and his campaign became synonymous with the anti-vaccine movement.
His announcement capped days of rumour that Kennedy offered to endorse Trump to secure a position in his next administration.
Trump told CNN earlier this week he would “certainly be open” to Kennedy playing a role, while Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, said he would be suited to “blow up” a federal department.
Source: BBC News