Hours after receiving an endorsement from third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump said that if elected president in November, he would release “all remaining documents relating to the assassination of John F. Kennedy” as part of a proposed new commission on presidential assassination attempts, including those aimed at him.
Speaking at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, Trump promised that if elected he would “establish a commission of top experts” to study children’s health issues in collaboration with prominent anti-vaccination advocate Kennedy. The July 13 assassination attempt on Trump is already being formally investigated by law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Secret Service and FBI.
Mr Kennedy, scion of one of America’s most famous Democratic political families, was cheered by Republicans when he appeared onstage with Mr Trump at a Republican rally in Glendale, Arizona, with the crowd chanting “Bobby! Bobby!”
Kennedy announced on Friday that he was dropping his third-party presidential bid and endorsing Trump. Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, had previously said publicly that the campaign believed continuing the campaign would help Harris win because it would “take votes away from Trump.” Kennedy said it could potentially cost Harris electoral votes in battleground states, while: In other states it remains on the ballot..
In a brief speech at the rally, Kennedy said Trump would “make America whole again” and be a president who would “protect us from totalitarianism.”
In praising Kennedy for his support, Trump mentioned Kennedy’s father, a Democratic senator and attorney general, and his uncle, a Democratic president. “I know they’re watching him right now. They’re very proud of Bobby. I’m proud of Bobby,” Trump said.
Kerry Kennedy is one of RFK’s sisters. He told a Washington Post reporter. The same day, she called her brother’s fervent support for Trump “obscene”, saying: “If my father were alive today, I believe he would hate almost everything about Donald Trump.”
President Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, was recently reported to have ties to conservative groups that advocate the repeal of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an anti-discrimination law proposed by President John F. Kennedy and made law after his assassination.
In a joint statement issued before the Trump rally in Glendale, five of Kennedy’s siblings — Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy and Lori Kennedy — called RFK’s endorsement of Trump “a betrayal of our father and the values our family holds” and a “sad ending to a sad story.” They said they support the Democratic candidates Harris and Waltz.
As temperatures topped 100 degrees in Arizona, local news outlets Reported that More than 100 people Some people were treated for heatstroke while waiting to enter Trump’s rally, some of whom were treated inside the venue and some taken to hospital.
Kennedy joined Trump in Glendale less than 24 hours after the Arizona secretary of state confirmed that his campaign had formally requested to be removed from the Arizona ballot.
Election authorities Arizona and Ohio They confirmed that Kennedy’s name would not appear on the state ballot. Withdrew from the race The Texas Secretary of State’s website states that Kennedy’s campaign has also reportedly filed paperwork to remove his name from the Texas ballot. Pennsylvania.
But in key battleground states like Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, election officials said it was too late for Kennedy to remove his name from the ballot even if he wanted to.
Given Kennedy’s track record, Trump’s proposal to set up a government panel of experts to work with Kennedy to study health issues in America’s children is noteworthy.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has become “one of the most influential people spreading fear and mistrust about vaccines” in recent decades and has “traveled the world spreading misinformation about the pandemic.” The Associated Press reported.His Twitter account is Named “Top Superspreader” In 2022, medical journal articles reported a lot of misinformation about Covid-19. The Associated Press Consequences of Kennedy’s Claims Individual families and “Kennedy is using the pandemic to [Children’s Health Defense, his advocacy group] To A multi-million dollar misinformation engine“
Kennedy has falsely claimed for years that vaccines cause autism and has more recently made a series of other contrived health claims, including that Wi-Fi has adverse health effects. Causes “brain leak”School shootings may be linked to antidepressants, chemicals in water They were making their children transgender..
Some Kennedy supporters say they are frustrated by his endorsement of Trump because they were attracted to Kennedy Jr. as an alternative to the two-party system and some have no intention of voting for Trump.
Kennedy, like Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, has been a scathing critic of Trump both publicly and privately, reportedly calling Trump “a likely sociopath,” “hardly a human being,” and “the worst kind of human being.” [sic] In a text message, the man was described as “the best president ever,” according to The New Yorker.
Kennedy, 2020 be publicly called He has called Trump a “bully” and said he has “discredited the American experiment in self-governance,” and recently criticized Trump’s criticisms as “outrageous.”
It went both ways: In May, Trump attacked Kennedy in a social media post on “Truth Social,” calling him a “junior” and labeling him “one of the most liberal lunatics to ever run for office.”
“He attacked me a few times as well, and I didn’t like that,” Trump said at the Glendale rally, referencing their past differences.
Trump praised Kennedy, Contrary to the available evidenceKennedy has said that if he had remained in the Democratic presidential primary in October 2023, rather than deciding to run as an independent, he would have beaten Joe Biden.
Sam T. Levin and The Associated Press contributed reporting.
