As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seeks a way to stay in the election, negotiations with Donald Trump are intensifying, raising speculation that he may support the former president.
Several Kennedy associates are scheduled to speak by phone on Wednesday night to discuss the campaign’s developments, according to a statement from The Hill. ABC NewsReported Kennedy is reportedly considering dropping out of the race by the end of the week and endorsing Trump, though no decisions have been made at this point, according to reports.
The report comes after Kennedy’s campaign announced that the third-party candidate will make an announcement in Arizona on Friday, the same day that Trump visits the Grand Canyon State.
“My instinct is that Bobby has left. [Trump] “They were together at an event in Phoenix,” a source with knowledge of Kennedy’s activities told The Hill.
One Trump supporter said while nothing is definitive about the endorsement, “the signs are pointing in that direction.”
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
The Kennedy campaign made headlines during the week of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago when vice presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan publicly suggested Kennedy was considering dropping out of the campaign to endorse Trump.
With Kennedy’s own chances of winning the White House fading, he is seeking to shore up his political future with a Republican candidate and Democrats are feeling anxious as they try to figure out how to navigate another third-party surprise.
“The Kennedy campaign has been built on lies since day one,” said Doug Gordon, a Democratic consultant who has followed Kennedy closely. “The lie that he could win. The lie that he was an independent and not a Trump sycophant. The lie that this was a movement and not necessarily just about Kennedy’s ego.”
“Over the last few days, all of those lies have been exposed,” he said.
Shanahan’s comments were made while discussing election strategy on a podcast.
“We’re looking at two options: We can stay and start a new party, but that risks giving Kamala Harris and Walz the presidency, because they’re trying to get votes from Trump,” Shanahan told Tom Bilyeu’s “Impact Theory.” “Or we can leave now and align ourselves with Donald Trump.”
“We need to focus on our vision for November and beyond,” Shanahan added.
Democrats seized on the remarks to try to paint Kennedy as a MAGA-style Republican masquerading as an independent candidate.
“RFK is desperate, and voters will sense that and reject him no matter who he aligns with,” said a Democratic campaign strategist. Kennedy is “seeking relevance rather than pushing for substantive conversation on policy,” the strategist said.
Kennedy, 70, has struggled to maintain his popularity in the race, from double-digit approval ratings at his peak to low single digits in the current contest between Trump and Democratic nominee Vice President Harris. His national popularity is even more uncertain at the state level, where the candidates’ fates are decided in just a few battleground states.
Additionally, while Kennedy has secured ballots from nearly 20 states, many others have yet to be certified.
One thing that’s bothering Kennedy is his campaign’s financial woes. New Federal Election Commission records show that Kennedy is nearly $3.5 million in debt and depleted of funds. That amount alone isn’t necessarily cause for alarm, as it’s common for candidates to get into debt due to the vicissitudes of an election cycle. But what’s more concerning is that FEC records show he has less than $4 million in cash on hand — a tiny amount for a legitimate presidential candidate with just a few months to go until the general election.
Kennedy supporters are aware of these issues, too. Some believe the financial and voting realities mean the time is just right to join Trump — whether that’s in the near future, with Democrats revving up their Chicago convention, or in the coming weeks when attention is evenly focused on both parties.
Thanks to Shanahan’s comments, it will now be easier to position Kennedy as a useful ally of President Trump.
“I’ll sign a deal,” a source familiar with Kennedy’s work said, “and go on tour and do the arena rock style of Kennedy.” [and] Trump rally.
Some Republicans, including Trump himself, seem to warm to the idea of having Kennedy on his side in hopes of broadening his base beyond 2020. “If RFK endorsed Trump, it would cause heartburn for the Republican establishment,” said Matt Wolking, who served as deputy communications director for Trump’s 2020 campaign.
“But Trump is trying to build a broad coalition, and most Trump supporters would welcome support from an outsider, especially one who is opposed to the establishment like RFK, even if RFK was very liberal on some issues,” Wolking said.
Mr Kennedy has sought to tone down any lingering attachment to the left, including seriously distancing himself from his Democratic image and his family’s longstanding place in the party. That has worked well for Mr Trump so far, who praised Mr Kennedy upon learning of Mr Shanahan’s comments.
President Trump told CNN on Tuesday that he would consider bringing Kennedy into his administration, calling him a “fantastic person.”
The sentiment from above was even conveyed to Trump’s pick for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, who appeared to try to curry favor with voters and win him over to the Republican nominee.
“I’ve never spoken to RFK about this, but my contention with him and many of his voters is that the Democratic Party, whose grandparents supported his uncle, John F. Kennedy, for president, has been completely abandoned by modern Democratic Party leadership,” Vance said during an appearance on Fox News.
“RFK’s withdrawal clearly benefits Trump in the key state of Michigan,” said Scott Tranter of Decision Desk HQ.
“Similar trends are occurring in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but RFK is not eligible to vote in those states. [it] “It doesn’t really matter,” he said.
Republicans have been less harsh on Kennedy than Democrats and have shown interest in his candidacy.
After Shanahan said he could see a world where independent candidates aligned themselves with Trump, Democrats noted it was a simple move expected by both sides. Some strategists said they expected Kennedy to further alienate his supporters, arguing that he has already changed guises multiple times.
“He’s going to disappoint a lot of his supporters because he misled them,” Gordon said. “Any endorsement of Trump won’t change much in the race, but it will be clear from day one how fraudulent he and his entire campaign have been.”
Democrats see greater benefit in Kennedy dropping out than in continuing the race, regardless of whether he gains traction in the near future. Polls are imperfect and paint a shifting picture, so it’s unclear whether Kennedy will favor Trump or Harris. But many agree that Harris’ campaign will be somewhat easier without Kennedy being considered in the fall race.
“Having RFK out of the race is a plus for Kamala, that’s all,” said another Democrat who follows Kennedy. “The only presidential elections Democrats have lost in the last 30 years have been decided by a third-party candidate: Nader in New Hampshire in 2000; Stein in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan in 2016.”
“Anyone who thinks that the 43-47% of voters who supported Donald Trump through Access Hollywood, the ‘very fine people’ carrying tiki torches, the January 6th rally, over 30 criminal convictions, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans from COVID-19 are going to move away from Trump because of RFK Jr. and Shanahan is deluding themselves,” the operative added.
Brett Samuels contributed.
