Ahead of President Donald Trump’s (R) rally tonight in Arizona, Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference “about the present historical moment and his path forward.” For weeks, both RFK Jr. and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, have insinuated that they would be dropping out of the race and endorsing President Trump. Given that President Trump has recently warmed up to the idea of an endorsement, RFK Jr. has suspended his campaign and thrown his support behind President Trump.
RFK Jr. took to the stage today to address his supporters and provided an update on the "path forward," announcing that he would be dropping out of the 2024 presidential election and endorsing President Trump for president.
He opened by detailing his history and support for the Democratic Party. "I began this journey as a Democrat, the party of my father, my uncle, the party which I pledged my own allegiance to long before I was old enough to vote."
However, he went on to deride the Democratic Party, accusing them of dismantling democracy in the name of saving it. Directing criticism at Vice President Kamala Harris (D), he questioned how the Democratic Party could nominate a candidate who has not engaged in either a debate or an interview, drawing a distinction between her and himself and President Donald Trump (R).
In endorsing President Trump, RFK Jr. said he dropped out of the race because he would be a "spoiler candidate." Removing his name from 10 battleground states, he is throwing his support behind President Trump because of three key issues to him: "free speech, the war in Ukraine, and the war on our children." "We are aligned on many key issues," he added after having met with President Trump several times.
RFK Jr. made it clear that he was not "terminating" his campaign. Instead he was suspending his campaign.
"In an honest system, I believe that I would've won the election."
