RFK Jr. joins Trump at Arizona rally
Hours after dropping his presidential bid, third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined former President Donald Trump at a rally in Glendale on Friday, the same day Kennedy endorsed Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined former President Trump on stage at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday, hours after the third-party candidate announced he was ending his presidential bid and endorsing the Republican nominee.
“We’re both here to do the right thing for our country,” Trump told a packed crowd at Desert Diamond Arena, with RFK Jr. standing by his side, adding that if he wins the presidential election he would create an independent presidential commission on assassination attempts with a mandate to release all remaining documents related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, RFK Jr.’s uncle, who was killed in 1963.
“He’s a great person, a great man who loves the people of this country,” Trump added of RFK Jr.
The former candidate has met with Trump multiple times since last month. ““He talked about the values and issues that unite us, not the things that divide us because we don’t agree on everything. And one of the issues he talked about was safe food security and ending the chronic disease epidemic.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blasted the “mainstream media aligned with the Democratic National Committee” and accused them of orchestrating Harris’ rise.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, looks on as former Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona on Friday. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
He added of Trump: “Don’t you want a president who will protect American freedoms and protect us from totalitarianism? … Don’t you want a safe environment for your children? Don’t you want to know that the food you’re feeding them doesn’t contain chemicals that cause cancer and chronic disease? And don’t you want a president who will make America healthy again?”
Trump added that RFK Jr. was “doing well in the polls” but the two-party system made it “very difficult” for him to run.
He also appealed to RFK Jr.’s supporters.
“I really ask all of the people who helped Bobby’s campaign to join us in building this coalition,” Trump said. “This is a great coalition to defend freedom and security, prosperity and peace. This is going to be a great coalition, and the relationship has been very good for a long time. I have no doubt it will work, but we have to win. We have to take our country away from the people who are trying to destroy it.”
President Trump and Senator Kennedy Jr. drew a sold-out crowd at the same arena where Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Gov. Tim Walz held a rally earlier this month.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, shakes hands with former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, during a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
RFK Jr. endorsed Trump early Friday, saying he plans to remove Trump’s name from the ballot in Republican and Democratic states, allowing people to vote for Trump there, while removing Trump’s name from battleground states.
“There are three main reasons that got me into this race in the first place, and they are the primary reasons that prompted me to leave the Democratic Party, to run as an independent, and now to support President Trump,” RFK said. “Those causes are free speech, the war in Ukraine, and the war on children.”
Kennedy said the DNC has “waged an ongoing legal battle” against Trump and himself, accusing the committee of running a “sham primary” to block a full-scale primary challenge to President Biden before he won the Democratic nomination and then withdrew in July to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump thanks RFK JR for support after third-party candidate suspends campaign: ‘This is a big deal’
The Harris campaign reached out to RFK Jr. supporters in a statement to Fox News on Friday.
“To all Americans who are tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way, our campaign is for you. To get results for workers and those who feel left behind, you need leaders who will fight for you and not just for themselves, and who will unite us not divide us. Vice President Harris wants your support. And even if we don’t see eye to eye on every issue, Kamala Harris knows there is more that unites us than divides us – respect for rights, public safety, protecting freedoms and opportunity for all.”
“This is great,” said Mary Beth Cahill, a senior adviser to the DNC.
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“The more voters know about RFK Jr., the less favorable they view him. Instead of building broader support, Donald Trump is following in the footsteps of a failed extremist candidate. Farewell,” she said.
