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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his election campaign and support for Donald Trump

Posted on by Anna Loren

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew his name from the ballot of 10 battleground states and declared his support for former President Trump.

“I no longer believe I have a realistic chance of winning the election, in the face of systematic and continuous censorship and media control. I cannot ask my staff and volunteers to continue continue to work long hours, or ask donors to continue their financial support, when you cannot continue to tell them that you have a real path to the White House”, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a press conference in Arizona on August 23.

However, Mr. Kennedy Jr. said he only “suspended” his election campaign, not “completely stopped it”. He withdrew his name from the ballots of 10 battleground states while keeping his name on the ballots of the remaining states.

Kennedy Jr. criticized the fact that Vice President Kamala Harris was chosen as the representative candidate of the Democratic Party despite not participating in the primary election. He also listed a list of his displeasures with his former party, including freedom of speech, the conflict in Ukraine and “the war on our children,” a phrase referring to opposition to the party. This politician with the vaccine. Kennedy Jr. said this was the reason why he decided to “support former president Donald Trump”.

Mr. Kennedy Jr. said he had met Mr. Trump and the former president’s advisors many times. They agreed on issues such as border security, freedom of speech and ending conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. “There are still many issues and approaches where we have major differences, but we agree on other important issues,” he said.

Kennedy Jr. announced his candidacy in April 2023 as a Democratic candidate, then became an independent candidate. He is the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the grandson of the late US President John F. Kennedy. The 70-year-old candidate has expertise in environmental law and has written books, but has repeatedly caused controversy with his anti-vaccine views and unfounded conspiracy theories.

Voters’ interest in Kennedy Jr. recently declined. An Ipsos survey earlier this month showed that only 4% of voters nationwide supported him.

Mr. Trump welcomed Kennedy Jr.’s “nice support.” “He is a wonderful person,” said the former US president. Kennedy Jr. is expected to appear at Mr. Trump’s rally in Glendale, Arizona as a special guest.

On August 20, Mr. Trump raised the possibility of giving Kennedy Jr. a position in his government if elected.

Meanwhile, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Ms. Harris’s campaign chairman, called on voters who supported Mr. Kennedy Jr. switch to vote for Vice President. “While we don’t always agree on issues, Kamala Harris understands that there is more that unites us than divides us,” Dillon said.

Mr. Kennedy Jr.’s move. faced criticism from most members of this politician’s famous family. “His decision to support Trump is a betrayal of the values ​​that we and our family cherish most. This is the sad end of a sad story,” said Mr. Kennedy Jr.’s five siblings. said when issuing a joint statement supporting Ms. Harris.

Observers have mixed views on the impact of Mr. Kennedy Jr. suspending the presidential election, as well as whether many of this politician’s supporters will turn to vote for Mr. Trump or Ms. Harris. A margin of just a few thousand votes in a battleground state could decide who wins the race.

Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris are closely chasing each other in recent surveys and will debate for the first time in Philadelphia on September 10.

According to the Capitoneshirt