RFK Jr. suspends campaign; endorses former President Trump

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. says he will suspend his campaign in the 2024 presidential race and throw his support behind Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Kennedy's support stood at 4% in an Ipsos poll taken this month, and his campaign appeared to be running out of money, according to Federal Election Commission filings published this week. At the end of last month, Kennedy's campaign owed close to $3.5 million and had only $3.9 million on hand.

In a virtual address Friday, Kennedy clarified that he plans to remove his name from the ballot in about 10 battleground states "where my presence would be a spoiler" − a process he has already begun in states including Arizona and Pennsylvania.

During a campaign stop in Las Vegas Trump thanked Kennedy for the "very nice endorsement" and said he would discuss it further at an event later today in Arizona.

Members of the Kennedy family − who have previously spoken out against the independent candidate's campaign − also reacted to the news, calling his endorsement of Trump "a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear."

"It is a sad ending to a sad story," the five Kennedys wrote in a joint statement .

Speculation that Kennedy would drop out began earlier this week, after his running mate Nicole Shanahan said in an interview Tuesday the campaign had been weighing a decision .

“There's two options that we're looking at, and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency... or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump," Shanahan said at the time.

Rumors intensified Wednesday, as ABC News first reported Kennedy's plans to end his campaign , though a decision had not been finalized yet sources then said. Kennedy was seeking a deal with Trump for the promise of a job in the Republican's administration in exchange for an endorsement, Reuters reported at the time.

Trump is set to appear hours after Kennedy's announcement at a rally in Glendale, Arizona. His campaign has teased an unnamed "special guest" appearance, fueling predictions that Kennedy could appear alongside the former president Friday.

Live updates: Donald Trump in Arizona, RFK Jr. to speak before Trump's afternoon rally

Trump earlier this week called Kennedy “a brilliant" and "very smart guy" − a far cry from April, when he called him “far more liberal than anyone running as a Democrat," and feared that Kennedy's independent candidacy might cost him votes in the general election.

Kennedy had met with Trump on the first morning of the Republican National Convention in July "to discuss national unity," according to a campaign statement at the time.

The Harris campaign in response to Kennedy's suspension offered their ticket as an option to voters "tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward."

“In order to deliver for working people and those who feel left behind, we need a leader who will fight for you, not just for themselves, and bring us together, not tear us apart," Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. "Vice President Harris wants to earn your support."

Contributing: David Jackson and Karissa Waddick, Sudiksha Kochi, Bart Jansen USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. suspends campaign; endorses former President Trump