A week since independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the suspension of his campaign in battleground states and endorsement of former U.S. President Donald Trump, reactions in the polls and among public figures have emerged.
On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the Trump campaign confirmed that Kennedy Jr. was joining his transition team, along with Tulsi Gabbard, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party candidacy in the runup to the 2020 general election.
“We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team as we work to restore America’s greatness,” Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes said.
Kennedy Jr. says his Friday, Aug. 23 decision to opt out of the race came after the results of an internal poll conducted by his campaign showed that his candidacy was hurting Trump’s chances more than those of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic candidate.
The nephew of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, Kennedy Jr. is bowing out in battleground states that are likely to decide the election this Nov. 5. He will, however, remain on the ballots of 40 states, including the battlegrounds of Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin, where it is too late for him to withdraw as a named candidate.
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Kennedy joined Trump at a rally in Arizona after announcing his endorsement earlier that Friday.
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Reactions
RFK Jr.’s decision to back Trump would have been inconceivable just a year ago, and some argue even a few months ago when he accused Trump of betraying his supporters, while Trump lambasted RFK Jr. as “the most radical left candidate in the race.”
The move came as a surprise to many, given the Kennedy family’s prominent role in the politics of the Democratic Party over the decades.
An Aug. 23 statement posted on X by RFK Jr.’s younger sister, Kerry Kennedy, blasted his decision as “a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.”
“It is a sad ending to a sad story,” the statement, which was also signed by several other members of the Kennedy family, reads.
Kenndy Jr.’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, served as U.S. Attorney General and was a U.S. senator representing New York. In 1968, he — like JFK five years prior — was assassinated, while running for the Democratic presidential nomination.
In an interview with Fox News, RFK Jr. said that he understood his relatives’ feelings. “We were raised in a milieu where we were encouraged to debate each other and debate ferociously and passionately about things and still love each other,” he added. “They’re free to take their positions on these issues. There are many, many members of my family working at my campaign and who are supporting me.”
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Trump-Kennedy alignment
Speaking in Arizona, Kennedy said that Trump asked him to be part of a potential Trump administration and that he’s met with him multiple times since Trump was shot in an assassination attempt on July 13.
“I was surprised to discover that we are aligned on many key issues,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said he is aligned with Trump on issues like ending “forever wars” and “childhood epidemics.” He also said they agree upon securing the border and protecting freedom of speech.
He suggested that Trump, if elected, will offer him a position to address the “chronic disease epidemic.”
“If I’m given the chance to fix the chronic disease crisis and reform our food production, I promise that within two years, we will watch chronic disease lift dramatically. We will make Americans healthy again. Within four years, America will be a healthy country.”
Trump thanked Kennedy for his support at the rally, calling him “a great guy, respected by everybody.”
He has also said he would establish a federal commission to release classified government records related to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, which has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories since.
It’s speculated that Kennedy Jr. could land himself a job as secretary of Health and Human Services assuming Trump beats Harris.
RFK Jr.’s decision to step aside and endorse Trump may have been months in the making.
In recent, weeks both the Kennedy and Trump campaigns have routinely complimented each other and there were rumors of behind-the-scenes discussions, according to people familiar with the matter.
In a quickly deleted post during the Republican National Convention last month, Kennedy’s son posted a video showing a phone call between his father and Trump, when Trump appeared to be trying to convince Kennedy to join him.
According to the Associated Press, citing a person familiar with the matter but also someone who wished to remain anonymous, there had been talks between the two camps for some time, with Trump allies quietly lobbying Kennedy to drop out of the race and support Trump.
Trump told CNN on Aug. 20, that he would “love” a Kennedy endorsement, calling him a “brilliant guy,” and adding that there may be a spot for him in his administration should he be successful in November.
The biggest hint that a shakeup was coming was when Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, recently suggested on a podcast that his campaign might “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump,” adding that Kennedy would thrive in Trump’s administration as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
“I think that Bobby in a role like that would be excellent,” Shanahan had said. “I fully support it. I have high hopes.”
