US Election Campaign: Independent Robert F. Kennedy gives up and backs Trump

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy withdraws his candidacy in particularly hotly contested US states. The 70-year-old announced his name would be removed from the ballot in so-called swing states during an appearance in Phoenix, Arizona. “I no longer believe I have a realistic chance of winning the election,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said he would remove his name from the ballot in about 10 states where his presence would be disruptive. In these he will run as the Republican candidate Donald Trump Support. But Kennedy doesn’t want to end his campaign entirely: His name will remain on the ballot in most states so people can continue to vote for him without affecting Trump or Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Kennedy was leading in the most recent national poll by the political website the mountain 8.7 percent approval this week.

Trump and Harris hang out with Kennedy supporters

At a campaign rally in Arizona, Republican Donald Trump brought Kennedy to the stage after his announcement. “We were on slightly opposite sides,” Trump said of his guest. “Kennedy attacked him a few times during the campaign, and he didn’t like it. “But he’s a unique person, a unique human being.” Kennedy, 78, told Trump supporters, “It’s not about things that divide us. , said he spoke “because we don’t agree on everything, but about the values ​​and issues that unite us”. The audience cheered him with chants of “Bobby, Bobby”.

Despite her public support for Donald Trump, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ campaign team has also begun courting Kennedy’s supporters. Campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said Harris wants to “earn” the support of his voters. Speaking to her supporters, she said, “Even if we don’t agree on everything, Kamala Harris knows that there is more that unites us than divides us.”

Relatives accuse Kennedy of “treason.”

Many of Kennedy’s relatives have criticized the position. Her brother’s standing behind Trump represents “a sad ending to a sad story,” his sister Kerry Kennedy said in a statement on behalf of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Chris Kennedy and Rory Kennedy. Published on site X. By his decision, “Bobby betrayed the values ​​that our father and our family hold dear.”

In the post, all five Kennedy family members expressed their support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her rival, Tim Walls. “We trust Harris and Walls,” it said.

Robert Kennedy Jr. admitted that his decision to support Trump caused tension in his family. “I am saddened by this decision because of the difficulties it will cause for my wife and my children and my friends,” he said Friday in Phoenix. But he is determined to do it.

Kennedy could help Trump win

In the United States, so-called swing states — states that sometimes go Democratic and sometimes Republican, often narrowly — are often decisive in elections. Particularly close results are expected in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Both Democrats and Republicans disliked Kennedy’s candidacy because he could take important votes away from them. According to experts, recent studies suggest that his candidacy could harm Trump. However, Kennedy’s retreat in swing states and his embrace of Trump may now give him a decisive advantage.

Heir of a famous family

US media had previously reported that Kennedy might support Republican candidate Donald Trump in the US election campaign. It was unclear at first whether Kennedy would abandon his candidacy in whole or in part.

Robert F. Kennedy is a former attorney general and presidential candidate of the same name, Robert F. Kennedy’s son. He was shot in an assassination attempt during the 1968 presidential campaign and is the younger brother of former US President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy was also shot in 1963 in an assassination attempt.

Former Democrat, Conspiracy Theorist Criticized

Kennedy had been a Democrat for decades, but had increasingly distanced himself from the party in recent years. The declared anti-vaccination activist has been widely criticized by Democrats and members of his family for spreading conspiracy theories and connections to right-wing extremist politicians.

Kennedy accuses the Democratic Party of using undemocratic means to influence the election campaign against him and Trump. Lacking confidence in their own candidate, Joe Biden, the party leadership launched a “legal war” against him and Trump. Kennedy described the American media as “mouthpieces of government and stenographers for the organs of power.”

Lately, Kennedy has also attracted attention with farcical stories. In 2014, he publicly claimed to have dumped the body of a bear cub in New York’s Central Park. He actually wanted to skin the bear and store the meat in his refrigerator, but then he had to rush to the airport. At the time, a dead black bear was actually found in Central Park — a discovery that baffled authorities. According to a previous newspaper report, Kennedy also believes that a worm in his brain caused his memory loss years ago.