Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the ballot in Arizona late Thursday (August 22) amid speculation that he plans to drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse former President Donald Trump, the New York Post reports.
Kennedy, 70, a Democrat until launching his campaign as an Independent in 2023, is scheduled to speak “about the present historical moment and his path forward” in Phoenix at 2:00 p.m. ET, hours ahead of a rally for Trump, 78, the Republican nominee, in neighboring Glendale. Trump’s campaign teased that he would be joined by “a special guest” at his Glendale event, hours before the former president called into FOX News Channel in response to the Democratic National Convention and claimed he had “no idea” if Kennedy was “going to endorse me,” but acknowledged the possibility of “meeting tomorrow and we’ll be discussing it.”
Kennedy’s Arizona withdrawal was confirmed by a spokesperson for the secretary of state and took place less than a week after he submitted more than the minimum requirement of signatures to appear on the ballot. Last month, Kennedy’s son shared and quickly deleted a video of his father on the phone with Trump in which the former president appeared to attempt to sway the Independent candidate.
Trump, who had previously called Kennedy “the most radical left candidate in the race,” told CNN that he would “love” an endorsement from the Independent candidate, whom he referred to as a “brilliant guy” and said he’d consider for a possible role in his administration if elected on Tuesday (August 20). In April, a leaked video showed a consultant for Kennedy’s campaign telling New York Republican voters that getting the independent candidate on the ballot would help in getting “rid of [President Joe] Biden” and aid in Trump being re-elected prior to Biden’s decision to end his own campaign. Rita Palma, who identified herself as the New York state director for Kennedy’s campaign and having voted for Trump during each of his past two presidential campaigns, claimed that efforts for Kennedy’s inclusion were to hinder Biden and that her “No. 1 priority” was to aid in Trump winning his historically Democratic birth state.
Palma’s comments followed public criticism from Kennedy’s siblings regarding the motive of his campaign. Documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy said she was concerned that her brother’s campaign would siphon enough votes from the Democratic party to help elect Trump during an appearance on ABC‘s ‘Good Morning America’ on April 1.
Rory had previously joined her siblings Kerry Kennedy, Hon. Joseph P. Kennedy II and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend to condemn their brother’s presidential candidacy.
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