Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To Drop Presidential Bid, Possibly Endorse Trump, as Early as Friday
In recent months attorney Robert Kennedy Jr.’s support has steadily declined. Since President Biden dropped out of the race his level of support among potential Democratic voters declined even more steeply.
![AP/Wilfredo Lee, file](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.nysun.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F03%2Frfk-jr.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to drop out of the presidential race, and potentially endorse President Trump, as soon as Friday.
Mr. Kennedy, who is running an independent campaign for president, is set to “address the nation” concerning the future of his presidential campaign on Friday.
ABC News reports, citing anonymous sources from the campaign, that Mr. Kennedy will be dropping out of the race by the end of the week. His running mate, Nicole Shannahan, has indicated they are considering dropping out and helping Trump in November.
In recent months Mr. Kennedy’s support has steadily declined. Since President Biden dropped out of the race his level of support among potential Democratic voters has declined even more steeply.
Mr. Kennedy was recruited to run in the Democratic primary, where his campaign began, by Republican operatives, CBS News has reported. Now that his presence in the race appears to be cutting against Trump, he appears to be planning on helping Trump win in 2024.
Mr. Kennedy has also recently met with Trump and has reportedly sought a meeting with Vice President Harris, though she reportedly did not take the meeting.
For Mr. Kennedy, deadlines to drop out of the race before ballots are finalized are fast approaching with multiple states having deadlines in September.
After these deadlines, Mr. Kennedy’s name will remain on ballots even if he drops out of the race, which could still draw votes from people who might otherwise support Trump.
A former Trump advisor, Steve Bannon, had encouraged Mr. Kennedy to enter the race, according to CBS News’s Robert Costa, because the independent candidate could be “both a useful chaos agent in the 2024 race and a big name who could help stoke anti-vax sentiment around the country.”
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This article has been updated to offer additional attribution relating to the motivation for Mr. Kennedy’s presidential bid.