Former President Donald Trump expressed his gratitude to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for publicly supporting him on Friday.
During a speech in Arizona, Kennedy announced his endorsement of Trump in the upcoming presidential election. He also revealed that Trump had approached him about potentially joining his administration.
Kennedy stated, “Three significant factors motivated my decision to enter this race initially and eventually prompted me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent. These very causes are what led me to lend my support to President Trump.”
The son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy explained that while his name would still appear on some ballots, he would remove it from 10 battleground states, aiming to prevent any potential spoiler effect.
“I’ve already started the process,” Kennedy confirmed.
He clarified that individuals residing in states predominantly aligned with either Republicans or Democrats could still vote for him without adversely affecting either President Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.
However, Kennedy admitted, “In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control. So I cannot, in good conscience, ask my staff and volunteers to continue working tirelessly or request my donors to contribute when I cannot honestly assure them of a genuine path to the White House.”
Kennedy shared that he had engaged in two meetings with Trump recently. The first one occurred right after the President’s assassination attempt in July, and the second meeting took place a few weeks later.
“In those meetings, I proposed that we unite as a ‘unity party.’ I referenced Abraham Lincoln’s ‘team of rivals’ concept, which would allow us to publicly and privately disagree, even heatedly, on areas where we differ, while working collaboratively on issues of shared importance,” Kennedy revealed.
He outlined three specific issues that propelled him to support Trump: preserving free speech, addressing the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and combatting child exploitation.
Earlier this week, Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, hinted during a podcast interview that their campaign would endorse Trump’s 2024 bid to avoid splitting the vote.
Trump responded to the endorsement by saying, “I like him. I have tremendous respect for him. He’s a very different kind of guy, a very intelligent individual. I would certainly be honored by that endorsement.”
Before Kennedy’s speech, his campaign mistakenly filed a Pennsylvania court document indicating his endorsement of Trump for president. However, a spokesperson for Kennedy clarified that it was an erroneous filing.
On social media, Kennedy’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines from “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” expressed gratitude to campaign volunteers for their exceptional efforts, achieving what was previously deemed impossible.
Notably, Kennedy’s announcement occurred one day after Vice President Harris formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of the Harris campaign, issued a statement on Friday appealing to Kennedy’s supporters, emphasizing the importance of electing a leader who fights for the people and brings unity rather than division. The statement read, “Vice President Harris is eager to earn your support.”
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