In a bizarre exit-not-exit speech, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Friday that he is not terminating his campaign but simply “suspending” it, and expects to remain on the ballot in several states.
The independent candidate was expected to officially announce his withdrawal from the race and endorse Republican nominee Donald Trump during a press conference, but he threw everyone a curveball by opting to remain in the race.
“In a series of long, intense discussions, I was surprised to discover that we are aligned on many issues,” Kennedy said of Trump, recalling a series of calls and meetings that the two had following the attempted assassination on Trump’s life.
The news of the endorsement broke shortly before Kennedy appeared for the delayed presser, revealing itself by way of a Pennsylvania court filing caught by the Associated Press .
“In an honest system, I believe that I would have won the election,” Kennedy said, citing his family’s political dynasty. “I’m sorry to say that while democracy may still be alive at the grassroots, it has become little more than a slogan for our [government.]”
The 70-year-old spent the majority of his exit speech lamenting the current state of the Democratic Party and its decision to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris, all while reiterating falsehoods and talking points touted by Trump via his Truth Social feed.
Kennedy explained he intends to withdraw his name from the ballot of battleground states, but remain on the ballot in other states in an effort to divert votes away from Harris and boost Trump.
“Three great causes drove me to enter this race in the first place, primarily. And these are the principles that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw my support to President Trump,” Kennedy said, citing free speech, the Ukraine war, and the “war on our children.”
It remains to be seen exactly how Kennedy’s supporters will be distributed between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Kennedy had retained less than three percent of the vote as of Friday, according to aggregated polling data from The Hill .
The Kennedy family issued a statement against the independent candidate before the presser ended.
“We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride,” the letter , signed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy, read. “We believe in Harris and Walz. Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
Kennedy’s endorsement of the Republican nominee may not come as a surprise to those who remember that the pair held a controversial phone call in July in which the former president floated the idea that Kennedy—a notorious vaccine skeptic—could lead the Health and Human Services Department should Trump win in November. (That call was, fascinatingly, leaked by Kennedy’s own son, Bobby Kennedy III.)
Kennedy’s pick for vice president, Nicole Shanahan, who also happened to be one of his primary investors, announced shortly after Kennedy’s speech ended that she approved of the decision.
“You sparked a movement that millions of Americans had been longing for,” Shanahan posted on X. “It has been one of my greatest honors to run this race with you. It has been awe-inspiring to witness the fearlessness you showed in the face of censorship, blatant lies about your character, and even threats against your life. Save our children, Bobby.”
Shanahan’s approval is a dramatic shift from her stance just the day before. On Thursday , Shanahan, also an outspoken anti-vaccine conspiracist, took to the Adam Carolla Show to share that the outbound independent presidential candidate was wavering on his endorsement of Trump.
“The hesitation we have right now in joining forces with Trump is that he has not apologized or publicly come out and said, ‘Operation Warp Speed was my fault,’” Shanahan said , referring to the Covid-19 vaccination campaign. “There was a lot that happened under Donald Trump’s watch that should not have happened and cannot happen again.”
“And if we are going to put our bet with him—and we haven’t, we have not confirmed anything—but we need absolute assurance,” she added.
This story has been updated.
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