RFK Jr. slams Democrats as he suspends campaign, endorses Trump

Kennedy will stay on the ballot in a number of reliably blue or red states but has already begun to remove his name from the battlegrounds that will swing the election, including Arizona and Pennsylvania. He noted his disagreement with Trump on some issues but told reporters that, on balance, he supports the former president over Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Three great causes drove me to enter this race in the first place, and these are the principal causes that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw my support to President Trump,” Kennedy said. “The causes were free speech, the war in Ukraine, and the war on our children.”

Kennedy delivered a winding speech from Arizona in which he discussed his growing disenchantment with the Democratic Party while criticizing Harris for, among other things, not sitting for interviews with the media.

The Kennedy campaign had been hinting at his exit for the last week, and he confirmed his endorsement of Trump in a filing submitted to a Pennsylvania court before the press conference began.

Much of Kennedy’s campaign had been characterized by a struggle to earn a spot on various state ballots, but the candidate, who left the Democratic primary to mount an independent run in October, also faced declining poll numbers and a dwindling campaign war chest.

WATCH LIVE: RFK JR ENDORSES TRUMP AS HE DROPS OUT OF RACE

Kennedy had spent months waging a combative campaign against Trump and, until he dropped out of the race, President Joe Biden. But he eventually warmed to outreach from the Trump campaign, including a leaked July call in which the former president vaguely told Kennedy he would love for him to “do something.”

“I think it’ll be so good for you and so big for you. And we’re going to win,” Trump said on the call.

Later, Trump said he would be open to giving Kennedy, who has drawn controversy for his vaccine skepticism, a position in a future administration.

“I’d love that endorsement,” Trump told CNN when asked whether he had considered Kennedy for a role. “I like him. I respect him a lot. I probably would if something like that were to happen. He’s a very different kind of guy — a very smart guy. And, yeah, I would be honored by that endorsement, certainly.”

Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said on Tuesday that the Kennedy campaign was debating whether to “join forces” with Trump or risk Vice President Kamala Harris taking office.

While Kennedy was expected to siphon support away from both Trump and Harris, the conventional wisdom was he would pull more heavily from Republican-leaning independents. Polling from the Wall Street Journal found that among voters backing third-party or independent candidates, half would switch their vote to Trump while one-quarter would back Harris.

Kennedy’s endorsement eliminates the third-party threat to the GOP and could push momentum back in Trump’s favor as polls show a tight race against Harris. The Washington Examiner has contacted the Harris campaign seeking comment.

Kennedy previously sought out both the Harris and Trump campaigns in order to ask them if he could have a role in their administrations if he dropped out and endorsed them, but the Harris campaign rebuffed Kennedy.

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The Kennedy campaign has faced financial struggles of late, left with just $3.9 million in the bank at the end of last month while owing nearly $3.5 million, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Kennedy had largely stopped campaigning in public since early July. His Friday event was held just 10 miles from where Trump is holding a rally in Glendale, Arizona. Organizers for the Trump rally have promised a “special guest” will appear.