Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced today that he is withdrawing from the presidential race.
“I’m not going to stop campaigning, I’m just going to stop, not end it,” Kennedy said. “My name will remain on the ballot in most states.”
But Kennedy said that after “profound prayer,” she decided to support and campaign for former President Donald Trump, saying her deep concerns about her chronic illnesses and Trump’s promises to address those issues if elected ultimately shaped her decision.
“I probably have about another decade left in my power,” Kennedy said. “If President Trump is elected and keeps his promises, we will eliminate the huge burden of chronic disease that is plaguing our country and bankrupting us.”
Before endorsing Trump, Kennedy noted that while he could still win in conditional elections, Trump’s name would be removed from the ballot in 10 states where his candidacy could tarnish the election results. “If you live in a Democratic state, vote for me,” he said. “Please vote for me.”
Kennedy also used his speech to accuse the Democratic National Committee of waging a legal war against him and former President Donald Trump, likening Biden and the committee to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and criticizing Harris for not doing unscripted interviews with the press while he and Trump do.
“Are we still a model of democracy in this country, or have we become a kind of joke?” he asked. Kennedy said he had to drop out of the race because it became clear he was “handing the election to the Democrats.”
Signs that Kennedy and Trump are approaching a political alliance have grown in recent months. In July, Kennedy traveled to the Republican National Convention, where a video was released showing Trump and Kennedy discussing the endorsement. Trump campaign donor Timothy Mellon also gave $25 million to Kennedy’s campaign. Earlier this week, Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, suggested in a podcast appearance that she might drop out of the race and endorse the former president.
In a post on X on Thursday, Shanahan said Democrats are “frightened of the idea of our movement aligning itself with Donald Trump.”
“MAGA Republicans positioned RFK Jr.’s false candidacy as a way to mislead voters and hurt the Democratic Party. RFK Jr.’s withdrawal is an admission that their ploy has failed,” Democratic National Committee spokesman Ramsey Reed said in a statement.
The Kennedy campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Kennedy, who will begin his campaign as a Democrat in April 2023 and then as an Independent in October 2023, was seen as a disruptive candidate who could significantly affect the outcome of the election. Throughout his campaign, Kennedy seemed to master the art of using any digital space offered to him, appearing on podcasts and TikTok Live and soliciting cryptocurrency donors. When he didn’t have the chance to take the debate stage alongside President Trump and President Joe Biden, Kennedy hosted a parallel debate that was streamed online and on X and watched by more than 9 million people.
