RFK Jr. Suspends Presidential Campaign

Today, autarkic campaigner Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced his withdrawal from the statesmanlike race.

"I americium not terminating my campaign, I americium simply suspending it, not ending it,” says Kennedy. “My sanction volition stay connected the ballot successful astir states.”

Kennedy noted that helium could inactive triumph the predetermination successful a contingent election, but that helium would region his sanction from the ballot successful the 10 states wherever his candidacy could enactment arsenic a spoiler. “If you unrecorded successful a bluish authorities you tin ballot for me,” helium said. “I promote you to ballot for me."

Kennedy besides utilized his code to impeach the Democratic National Committee (DNC) of waging ineligible warfare against himself and erstwhile president Donald Trump, comparing Biden and the enactment to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. He took purpose astatine Harris for not doing unscripted interviews with the press, portion helium and Trump have.

"Are we inactive a relation exemplary for ideology successful this country, oregon person we made it benignant of a joke?" helium asked. Kennedy noted that helium was compelled to permission the contention erstwhile it became wide that helium would “hand the predetermination to the Democratic party.”

Kennedy spoke successful glowing presumption astir Trump, and confirmed that, aft the assassination effort connected Trump helium met with the erstwhile president, and said they had galore argumentation goals successful common.

Indications that Kennedy and Trump were inching toward a governmental confederation has been gathering for months. In July, Kennedy traveled to the Republican National Convention, wherever a video of Trump and Kennedy appearing to sermon a imaginable endorsement surfaced. Trump run donor Timothy Mellon besides supported the Kennedy run with $25 million. Earlier this week, Kennedy’s moving mate, Nicole Shanahan, suggested successful a podcast quality that helium might driblet out and endorse the erstwhile president.

In a Thursday post connected X, Shanahan said that Democrats are “terrified of the thought of our question joining forces with Donald Trump.”

“MAGA Republicans elevated RFK Jr.’s sham candidacy arsenic a instrumentality to mislead voters and wounded Democrats, and RFK Jr.’s exit is an admittance their gambit failed,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) spokesperson Ramsey Reid said successful a statement.

The Kennedy run did not respond to a petition for comment.

Kennedy launched his run arsenic a Democrat successful April 2023 and past arsenic an autarkic successful October 2023, and appeared to beryllium a potential spoiler candidate who could meaningfully interaction the results of the election. Throughout his campaign, Kennedy appeared to person mastered the creation of taking up immoderate digital abstraction was offered to him. He appeared connected podcasts and successful TikTok Lives, and courted crypto donors. When helium was not offered a spot connected the statement signifier alongside Trump and President Joe Biden, Kennedy hosted a parallel debate, streamed online and connected X, viewed by over 9 cardinal people.

A scion of the celebrated Kennedy family, Kennedy roseate to prominence arsenic an biology lawyer and anti-vaccine activist. In 2014, Kennedy joined the committee of Children’s Health Defense (CHD), a nonprofit that falsely asserts that conditions similar ADHD, autism, and crab are caused by vulnerability to radiation and harmful chemicals, and successful peculiar focuses connected disproved claims astir the links betwixt vaccination and conditions similar autism.