Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he would suspend his presidential campaign as an independent, endorsing Donald Trump on Friday.
In his speech, at a Trump rally in Phoenix, Kennedy claimed that the Democratic Party and media colluded to block his candidacy. Kennedy originally ran in the Democratic primary but dropped out last October in favor of an independent campaign.
He called the decision “a difficult sacrifice for my wife and children.” Kennedy’s sizable third-party cutout in polling had reduced significantly in recent months, especially as Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democrat’s nominee.
His campaign faced almost constant controversy and scandals, including revelations that Kennedy had groped a former babysitter and used a dead bear to stage a fake bicycle accident in New York City’s Central Park.
Kennedy’s political positions were eclectic. A long anti-vaccine advocate, Kennedy took progressive positions on issues like gun control but teetered on abortion, walking back contradicting comments that he favored both a national abortion ban after three months of pregnancy and that he supported “full-term abortions.”
Kennedy’s campaign sponsored two polls in Indiana, with him facing both Biden and Trump independently. His campaign polled him at 48% versus Biden’s 39% and 42% against Trump’s 45%.
