Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he is suspending his campaign, removing his name from ballots in swing states, and offering support to opponent Donald Trump.
"In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control," Kennedy said Friday from a stage in Phoenix. "Our polling consistently showed that by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues: censorship, war, and chronic disease."
"I am not terminating my campaign," he added. "I am simply suspending it – not ending it."
"My name will remain on the ballot in most states," he continued. "If you live in a blue state, you can vote for me without harming or helping President Trump or Vice President Harris. In red states, the same will apply. I encourage you to vote for me, and if enough of you do vote for me, and neither of the major party candidates win 270 votes, which is quite possible … I could conceivably still end up in the White House in a contingent election."
"In about 10 battleground states, where my presence would be a spoiler, I’m gonna remove my name and I’ve already started that process, and urge voters not to vote for me," Kennedy said.
The former Democrat criticized the Democratic party, the corporate press, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Instead of showing us her substance and character, the DNC and its media organs engineered a surge of popularity for Vice President Harris based on, well, nothing," he said. "No policies, no interviews, no debates, only smoke and mirrors, and balloons, in a highly produced Chicago circus."
At one point, CNN's broadcast cut away from Kennedy's speech when he began criticizing his former party's electoral process.
"CNN cut away from RFK Jr's speech as he was explaining how the DNC rigged the primary, replaced their candidate with one who didn't receive a single vote, and how the media covered up for it and censored him," wrote Greg Price, the communications director for the State Freedom Caucus Network. 🚨CNN cut away from RFK Jr's speech as he was explaining how the DNC rigged the primary, replaced their candidate with one who didn't receive a single vote, and how the media covered up for it and censored him. pic.twitter.com/sQfGcmWKWT
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 23, 2024
Kennedy said he will support Trump because of his position on three issues: free speech, ending the war in Ukraine, and ending the chronic disease epidemic among children.
Kennedy referred to several meetings with Trump, his family, and his advisors where he discovered they’re both “aligned on many key issues,” including ending the childhood disease epidemic.
“In those meetings, he suggested that we join forces as a unity party,” he said. "If President Trump is elected and honors his word, this burden of chronic disease that now demoralizes and bankrupts the country will disappear."
Kennedy’s announcement follows a week of speculation that he would end his bid for the White House and endorse Trump.
On Thursday evening, the flames of speculation were further fanned when reports surfaced claiming that Kennedy had removed his name from the ballot in Arizona.
According to ABC News, the independent candidate reportedly said "I will not confirm or deny" rumors of his exit from the race or potential endorsement of Trump.
"We are not talking about any of that," Kennedy reportedly said.
Rumors appeared to emerge after the candidate’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, publicly spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of continuing the campaign.
During an appearance on the Impact Theory podcast, Shanahan said if they earned five percent of the vote they would qualify for public funding through the Federal Election Commission.
“That’s worth something,” Shanahan told the show’s host, Tom Bilyeu. “That means that we can position for a real third-party election in 2028 where we don’t have to go around and spend tens of millions of dollars on ballot access.”
Staying in the race, however, would “run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Waltz presidency because we draw more votes from Trump,” she said.
Amid rumors that Kennedy’s campaign was coming to an end, Trump offered favorable comments about his opponent.
“I would love that endorsement because I’ve always liked him," Trump told a reporter on Tuesday who said Shanahan suggested the campaign would consider endorsing the GOP candidate.
The reporter then asked if Trump would put the independent candidate in his administration.
“You’re asking me a very unusual question. I haven’t been asked that question yet," Trump said. "I like him a lot. I respect him a lot. I probably would, if something like that would happen.”
In a Thursday X post, Shanihan said Democrat friends flooded her with “frantic calls, texts, and emails” because “they’re terrified of the idea of our movement joining forces with Donald Trump.”
“When I point out what the Democratic Party and their super PACs have done to sabotage our campaign, their response is always, ‘but Trump is worse,’” she added. “Here’s an idea: stop suing us. Let us debate. Quit rigging the media and the polls. It’s a simple formula, people—get with it.”
Though Kennedy’s campaign has collected over one million signatures with the assistance of some 100,000 volunteers, securing ballot access has posed an enormous problem.
“Independent ballot access is a labyrinth laced with a mine field,” Nick Brana, Kennedy’s senior advisor and ballot access director, said during a virtual July 31 press conference. “Oftentimes, the secretaries of state do not know their own rules, they will sometimes mislead you, some are very helpful. They hadn’t even produced the forms that were necessary until sometimes days or hours before we had to submit them.”
“The amount of challenges is truly incredible because this was not meant to be done,” he added. “It was meant to be a barrier to any kind of challenge to the entrenched big money duopoly.”
According to an Aug. 18 press release, the Kennedy-Shanihan ticket was officially on the ballot in 22 states. The campaign had also submitted signatures in 21 other states.
