According to recent reports, Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to drop out of the 2024 race and will address the nation while speaking in the same city as former President Donald Trump. Reports indicate that Kennedy will end his presidential bid by the end of the week and is strongly considering endorsing the Trump-Vance campaign.
RFK Jr.’s campaign noted that he will give a statement on Friday during an event in Phoenix, Arizona, as Trump will be holding a rally in the nearby suburb of Glendale. Former President Trump has indicated that he would be open to Kennedy coming on board his administration if he dropped out and officially endorsed him, a move that could give the Republican candidate the edge over Kamala Harris.
“He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him for a very long time,” Trump stated. “I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it.” Trump noted that he would “love” an endorsement from RFK Jr. and that he’s “always liked” him.
Trump further indicated he would likely appoint him to a position in his administration upon receiving the endorsement. “I like him a lot. I respect him a lot,” Trump said. “I probably would, if something like that would happen. He’s a very different kind of a guy — a very smart guy. And, yeah, I would be honored by that endorsement, certainly.”
The American Tribune recently reported on comments from RFK’s running mate Nicole Shanahan, who recently outlined the options she and RFK Jr. were considering ahead of November. “So you know, 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…Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump,” she said.
She noted that the campaign was considering the option of joining sides with Trump to prevent a Harris presidency. “We draw somehow more votes from Trump, or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump. And you know, we walk away from that and we explain to our base, why we’re making this decision. Not easy. Not an easy decision,” Shanahan added.
Shanahan further claimed, “It tells me right now. What my gut tells me right now is that we just have to keep being honest. I gotta just keep being honest. I gotta keep focusing on what matters the most outside of party lines, I need to focus on a vision that goes beyond November, and if that means that we stay in, and you know, there’s benefits to staying in, if we get over 5% of The vote, we actually establish ourselves as a party.”
However, she explained that they would want to assess Trump’s commitment to their values if they joined forces with him, “The question we have to ask ourselves right now is, one, do we trust Trump and his personal sincerity to really do the right thing for our country, end chronic disease, balance the budget, end these forever wars? Is he somebody that’s going to continue to invite people like Bobby and I into the conversation, or is he going to fall victim again to things that he fell victim to in his first administration?”
Watch Shanahan below:
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