RFK Jr. says he’s suspending 2024 campaign, backing Donald Trump
Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images, FILE
(WASHINGTON) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Friday he is suspending his long-shot campaign for president and instead supporting former President Donald Trump.
He did so at an event in Phoenix, Arizona, during which he encouraged voters in red or blue states to vote for him but said he would remove himself from the ballot in battleground states where he could act as a “spoiler.”
“I want everyone to know that I am not terminating my campaign,” he said. “I am simply suspending it and not ending it.”
He went on to explain what drove him to enter the race, to leave the Democratic Party and “now to throw my support to President Trump.”
Just before he took the stage, his campaign filed a court document in Pennsylvania which said Kennedy would endorse Trump.
Trump, who was in Nevada campaigning as Kennedy spoke, quickly celebrated his support. Trump will be in Arizona later Friday to hold a rally in Glendale, where he teased he would be joined by a “special guest.”
“We just had a very nice endorsement from RFK Jr., Bobby,” Trump said in Las Vegas. “That’s big. He’s a great guy, respected by everybody.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee responded to Kennedy’s announcement with a statement of “good riddance.”
“Today, in a bizarre, rambling announcement, RFK Jr. suspended his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump for President,” the DNC’s senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill. “This should come as no surprise, his candidacy has never been anything other than a spoiler campaign for Trump.”
Kennedy began his White House run in April 2023 as a Democrat to challenge President Joe Biden, but months later dropped the bid and the party that his family has symbolized for decades to chart a new course as an independent. He named Nicole Shanahan, a Silicon Valley lawyer, to be his running mate.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance and controversial remarks about COVID-19 had alienated him among Democrats, and he frequently sparred with the Democratic National Committee about the primary process, which he decried as unfair.
Members of his own family, too, were critical of his views and of his presidential run. Fifteen Kennedy family members made a statement by endorsing Biden at a campaign stop in Philadelphia when he was still in the race.
Five of his siblings released a joint statement on Friday stating they believed in Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride. We believe in Harris and Walz,” said Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy and Rory Kennedy.
“Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear,” the continued. “It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered his latest campaign trail remarks protected by bulletproof glass and multiple visible counter snipers on top of nearby buildings – his first outdoor campaign event not at his properties since a gunman attempted his life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.
It was his third counterprogramming event of the week against the Democratic National Convention, continuing with the series of events in battleground states focused on key election issues this year.
In Asheboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Trump focused on national security, attacking the Biden-Harris administration on ongoing foreign conflicts, the Afghanistan withdrawal, American hostage deals and other issues.
Contrary to his intimate and small counterprogramming events in Pennsylvania and Michigan earlier this week, this was his biggest campaign event so far this week. Trump – with the American flag in the backdrop just like in Butler – speaking in an open field in front of thousands of supporters, including some who told ABC News they were at the Butler rally and said the set up in Asheboro reminded them of the Butler rally.
As ABC News previously reported, the U.S. Secret Service has ordered multiple sets of bulletproof glass panels to be stored around the country so it can be trucked to wherever it’s needed, sources said. While the measure is typically reserved exclusively for sitting presidents, the Secret Service has made an exception following the attempt on Trump’s life.
The Secret Service had recommended that Trump stop holding outdoor rallies last month after a gunman in Butler fired at him from a rooftop 400 feet from the stage, nicking his ear and killing a spectator in the crowd.
Since July 13, Trump has held nearly a dozen campaign events, all of them indoors.
Claiming the United States was respected during his administration, Trump repeatedly painted a grim picture of a possible Kamala Harris presidency, saying, “If Comrade Kamala wins this November, World War three is virtually guaranteed to happen. Everything she touches, she destroys.”
Escalating his attacks on the sitting vice president, Trump began to directly blame Harris for the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, even falsely claiming that Harris met with Russian President Vladimir Putin days before the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.
“Remember when Biden sent Kamala to Europe to stop the war in Ukraine? She met with Putin, and then three days later, he attacked,” Trump falsely claimed. “How did she do it? Think she did a good job. She met with Putin to tell him, don’t do it. And three days later he attacked. That’s when the attack started.”
In reality, there’s no public record of Harris meeting with Putin. Instead, she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a security conference in Munich five days before the war broke out.
Trump also suggested Harris was responsible for the way U.S. troops left Afghanistan, saying “she was the last person in the room with Biden when the two of them decided to pull the troops out of Afghanistan.”
“She had the final vote; she had the final say, and she was all for it,” Trump said, later promising to hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable by asking for the resignations of “every single senior military official who touched the Afghanistan disaster.”
Trump also claimed he would have handled the Afghanistan withdrawal better, claiming he has had conversations with the head of Taliban and that he “respected” him.
“Our adversaries knew that America was not to be trifled with when I was your commander in chief,” Trump said. “… But since the Afghanistan catastrophe, it’s been open season on America and our allies.”
Trump also railed against “woke” military generals throughout his speech, claiming, “I know the good ones, the weak ones,” praising his former military officials like Gen. Keith Kellogg.
Offering a glimpse of what his second term would look like, Trump declared “the days of blank checks for the weapons systems” are over and said he will build “a great Iron Dome” and give it to other countries like Israel.
“We will increase funding, but at the same time, the days of blank checks for the weapons systems over the past are over. I tell you what we will build, we’re going to build a great Iron Dome over our country so that we don’t have to get hit. We give it to other countries, we help Israel and other countries,” Trump said.
Trump also said he would “aggressively” shift funding to “keep American on the cutting edge, investing in drones and other technology, saying he wants to invest “heavily” in “drones and robotics and artificial intelligence and hypersonics.”
Even as he focused on policies, Trump dismissed the idea of stopping personal attacks on Harris – at one point, mocking his advisers for suggesting he should stick to policy and stray away from personal attacks. He then said that many speakers at the Democratic National Convention personally attacked him, referencing Barack and Michelle Obamas speeches last night.
Trump then polled the crowd to see if he should “get personal,” followed by many in the crowd cheering. Prior to Obama’s speech last night, Trump spoke highly of the former president, but quickly shifted his tone saying he was “nasty.”
“Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? He was taking shots at your president. And so is Michelle. They always say, please stick to policy, don’t get personal. Yet they are getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy?”
“I try and be nice to people, you know, but it’s a little tough when they get personal,” Trump said.
“He was very nasty last night. I try and be nice,” Trump said about former Obama’s speech at the DNC Tuesday night.
“Should I not get personal? he asked the crowd. After few agreed, Trump quipped, “I don’t know — my advisers are fired.”
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (R) takes part in a town hall moderated by Fox News broadcaster Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on September 4, 2024. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump participated in another town hall Wednesday where he took several shots at his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris’ record and continued to throw out falsehoods about her and his record in office in front of a friendly crowd in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Advisers point to events like this as how Trump is preparing for next week’s ABC News debate in Philadelphia against Vice President Kamala Harris.
The former president, who often downplays the need for formal debate preparations, did offer some insight into how he will approach sharing the debate stage with Harris, saying he would limit his outbursts during an audience Q&A portion of the event which will air later this week.
“When I had Biden, you and I had the same discussion. And I let him talk. I’m gonna let her talk,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity when asked how he will respond to Harris when she tries to get under his skin.
“There are those who say that Biden is smarter than she is. If that’s the case, we have a problem,” Trump said, attacking Harris’ intelligence earlier by claiming she has “no idea what the hell she’s doing.”
“You can go in with all the strategy you want but you have to sort of feel it out as the debate is taking place,” he said, going on to talk about his multiple debate appearances.
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face” Trump quipped, quoting former boxing champion Mike Tyson.
Trump zeroed in on what he characterized as Harris’ policy inconsistencies, something that advisers have encouraged him to focus on. He specifically highlighted her changed position on fracking in front of a crowd in one of the country’s top fossil fuel-producing states.
“She wants no fracking. In Pennsylvania, she wants no fracking. She said it 100 times, there will be no fracking. There will be no fracking. There will be no fracking. Then just recently, she said, ‘Yes, I could approve fracking.’” Trump continued, “Look, this is a woman who is dangerous. I don’t think it’s too smart, let’s see.”
“You can’t take the chance. You have no choice. You’ve got to vote for me, even if you don’t like me,” he said, arguing that Americans didn’t know enough about Harris.
Trump held a town hall in Wisconsin last week with former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard was recently named to Trump’s presidential transition team and has been advising him during his debate preparations.
Wednesday’s town hall, which was taped in the afternoon before airing during Hannity’s regular 9 p.m. ET time slot, comes in lieu of a debate that Fox was attempting to hold Thursday night. While debate invitations were sent to both candidates, only Trump accepted as Harris campaign officials said future debates are contingent on Trump showing up to the ABC News debate next week.
“I think he’s a nice guy,” Trump said, pointing to Hannity. “But I would have preferred a debate.”
The former president and Hannity repeatedly criticized Harris’ lack of interviews as reasons to argue she’s unfit for office, pushing unfounded claims about her interview with CNN last week. However, while Trump sat down with Hannity for longer than Harris’ CNN interview, it was a friendly hour with the conservative TV host who rarely pushed back or pressed Trump on a number of topics.
Trump was asked to detail the differences between his previous presidential campaigns.
“It’s not that different. It’s still about the forgotten man and the forgotten woman. People are being treated horribly in this country,” Trump said.
Trump continued to spread anti-immigrant rhetoric, accusing Venezuelans of “taking over the whole town” in Aurora, Colorado, as he again promised to oversee the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
“Take a look at Aurora. In Colorado, where Venezuelans are taking over the whole town. They’re taking over buildings, the whole town…They’re knocking down doors and occupying apartments of people. The people are petrified. And it’s getting worse and worse,” Trump said, referring to a viral video that appeared to show an armed mob roaming around an apartment complex in Aurora.
However, the Aurora Police Department vehemently denied accusations that the apartment complex is being run by a Venezuelan gang.
“We’ve been talking to the residents here and learning from them to find out what exactly is going on, and there’s definitely a different picture,” Interim Police Chief Interim Heather Morris said in a Facebook video the department posted last week, while adding, “I’m not saying that there’s not gang members that don’t live in this community.”
The City of Aurora also provided clarity on the situation in a post on X, saying while there was a concern about a “small” presence of the Venezuelan gang members in Aurora, the city is taking the situation seriously. The city stressed that Aurora is a “safe community” and that reports of gang members are “isolated to a handful of problem properties alone.”
Trump criticized Harris’ rhetoric after Hannity played a 2016 clip of Harris from a speech at a Los Angeles mosque, in which she urged the public not to use terms such as “radical Islamic terrorism” and “illegal alien.”
“She wants to be politically correct, and we can’t be politically correct,” Trump responded.
“You need a president that’s not going to be taking you into war. We won’t have World War III when I’m elected, but with these clowns, you’re going to end up having world war – it’s going to be a war like no other,” he said.
Hannity briefly mentioned at the top of his program the school shooting earlier in the day in Winder, Georgia, where two students and two teachers were killed and nine people were injured. Trump cited Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban to tout his record on crime and national security.
“Well, it’s a sick and angry world for a lot of reasons, and we’re going to make it better. We’re going to heal our world. We’re going to get rid of all these wars that are starting all over the place, and we’re going to make it better,” Trump said.
“You know, Victor Orban made a statement. They said, ‘Bring Trump back, and we won’t have any problems.’ He was very strong about that,” he added.
Trump also took time to defend himself and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, against Harris’ running mate Gov. Tim Walz’s argument that they’re “weird.” Trump fired back at that sentiment, poking fun at some of Walz’s quirks.
“Something’s weird with that guy. He’s a weird guy. JD is not weird. He’s a solid rock. I happen to be a very solid rock,” said Trump. “We’re not weird. We’re other things, perhaps, but we’re not weird. But he is a weird guy.”
(WASHINGTON) — Special counsel Jack Smith has charged former President Donald Trump in a superseding indictment in his federal election subversion case.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
