RFK Jr. endorses Donald Trump, who called him ‘the most radical candidate on the left’

Kennedy’s independent campaign also called for him to be removed from the Pennsylvania ballot, though it was not immediately clear that he had officially dropped out of the race.

Kennedy had a speech planned for Friday in Arizona to discuss “the present historic moment and its path forward,” according to his campaign. A few hours later, Trump will hold a rally in nearby Glendale. Trump’s campaign teased that he would be joined by “a special guest,” though neither campaign responded to messages about whether Kennedy would be that guest.

The development late in the presidential race could give the former president a modest boost from Kennedy’s supporters.

A year ago, some would have thought it unthinkable that a member of the most famous family in Democratic politics would work with Trump to keep a Democrat — Vice President Kamala Harris — out of the White House. Even in recent months, Kennedy has accused Trump of betraying his supporters, while Trump has criticized Kennedy as “the most radical left-wing candidate in the race.”

The Pennsylvania filing came Friday in a case where Kennedy was defending his paperwork to get on the ballot in the battleground state against a challenge from two Democratic activists.

The filing said that “as a result of Donald Trump’s endorsement today,” he requested that his campaign’s nomination papers be rejected so that they would not appear on the Pennsylvania ballot.

The Kennedy and Trump campaigns have stepped up their compliments to each other and engaged in behind-the-scenes talks in recent weeks, according to those familiar with the effort. Both campaigns have spent months accusing Democrats of streamlining the legal system for their benefit. And both have publicly suggested they might be open to joining forces with the common goal of limiting Harris’ chances.

Last month, during the Republican National Convention, Kennedy’s son posted and then quickly deleted a video showing a phone call between Kennedy and Trump in which the former president appeared to try to persuade Kennedy to join him.

Talks between the two camps continued, with close Trump allies quietly pushing Kennedy to drop out of the race and support the Republican nominee, according to a person familiar with the effort who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations .

Trump told CNN on Tuesday that he would “love” an endorsement from Kennedy, whom he called “a brilliant guy.” He also said he would “definitely” be open to Kennedy playing a role in his administration if Kennedy stands down and endorses him.

Kennedy’s colleague Nicole Shanahan also suggested on a podcast this week that his campaign could “go right now and join forces with Donald Trump.” While she clarified that she is not personally in talks with Trump, she has entertained the idea that Kennedy might join the Trump administration as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

“I think Bobby in a role like that would be excellent,” Shanahan said. “I fully support it. I have high hopes.”

Earlier Friday, Shanahan posted on X that she is no Democrat Kamala or Republican Trump.

“I am an INDEPENDENT American who stands for ideas, not a person or a party,” she wrote. “I will continue to work to give voice to the voiceless and bring power back to the people.”

At Kennedy’s event in Phoenix, Casey Westerman, 38, a resident of Chandler, Ariz., who works in software sales, said he trusted Kennedy’s judgment and planned to vote for him, but that -would support Trump if Kennedy said that’s who he is. approval.

“My decision would really be based on who he thinks is best suited to lead this country,” said Westerman, who wore a “Kennedy 2024” trucker hat and voted for Trump in the last two presidential elections .

The scheduled remarks by Kennedy, a son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and a grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, come as his campaign’s momentum has waned.

Kennedy Jr. first entered the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat, but left the party last fall to run as an independent. He has built an unusually strong base for a third-party bid, fueled in part by anti-establishment voters and vaccine skeptics who have followed his anti-vaccine work since the COVID-19 pandemic. But he has since faced strained campaign finances and mounting legal challenges, including a recent ruling by a New York judge that he should not appear on the ballot in the state because he listed a “false” address in nomination petitions.

Many members of Kennedy’s extended family have said they do not clash politically with Kennedy Jr., and some came out publicly to support Biden before he dropped out of the race.

Recent polls have placed his support in the mid-single digits. And it’s unclear whether they’d get even that in the general election, since third-party candidates often don’t live up to their early poll numbers when voters actually cast their ballots.

There is some evidence that Kennedy staying in the race would hurt Trump more than Harris. According to a July AP-NORC poll, Republicans were much more likely than Democrats to have a favorable view of Kennedy. And those who had a positive impression of Kennedy were significantly more likely to also have a favorable view of Trump (52%) than Harris (37%).

In an interview with MSNBC at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday, Harris communications director Michael Tyler said her campaign welcomes Kennedy voters if the independent candidate drops out.

For voters who see Trump as a threat, who are looking for a new way forward, or who want “government to get the hell out of the way of their own personal decisions, there’s a home for you in Kamala Harris’s campaign,” Tyler said. said.

For Trump, Friday will mark the end of a week of state visits to the battlefield in which he has sought to draw attention away from Democrats celebrating Harris’ presidential nomination in Chicago.

He has traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and the Arizona US-Mexico border for events focused on his policy proposals on the economy, crime and safety, homeland security and the border. He will close out the week on Friday with stops in Las Vegas and Glendale.