Former President Donald Trump welcomed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. into his ranks on Friday, appearing with him at a campaign rally in Arizona just hours after Kennedy ended his solo bid for the White House and endorsed the Republican candidate.
“I’m very pleased to have with us tonight someone who has been a great advocate for many of the values that we all share and have shared for a long time,” Trump said as he introduced Kennedy in Glendale.
“I think he’s going to have a huge impact on this campaign,” Trump said.
Kennedy was greeted with thunderous applause from Trump supporters, some of whom chanted “Bobby!”
“For the last 16 months, Bobby has run an extraordinary campaign for president of the United States,” Trump said. “I know that because he’s attacked me on a number of occasions.”
The former president named Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and John F. Kennedy, suggesting that “they’re looking down on Bobby right now and they’re very proud.” Kennedy Jr.’s brothers have repeatedly distanced themselves from his independent candidacy, saying his views do not represent those of the family.
As part of his efforts to win over Kennedy, Trump said he would create a commission tasked with releasing surviving documents related to the assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy. I swore beforeHe intended to do so when he first took office but never did.
The former president also said he would work with Kennedy to establish a commission to study chronic diseases such as autism, obesity and autoimmune disorders.
Kennedy said ending the chronic disease epidemic is a top priority. Conspiratorial rhetoricAbout vaccines.
Kennedy announced Friday that he was ending his independent presidential bid in favor of former President Trump. He said he would consider removing his name from the ballot in key battleground states where he might be an obstacle, but would remain on the ballot in most Republican and Democratic states.
Kennedy’s approval rating has fallen sharply over the past year, with most polls showing him in the low single digits, but a slight shift in his approval rating among voters could be a factor in what is expected to be a close race in November.
The Trump campaign released a memo on Friday from its pollster Tony Fabrizio predicting that Trump would win most of Kennedy’s supporters in a head-to-head matchup with Vice President Harris. The memo declared that Kennedy’s decision to drop out of the race was “simply good news for President Trump and the campaign.”
Democrats have aggressively criticized Harris as a maverick candidate leaning toward the conservative movement despite her famous last name, and her campaign has sought to position the Trump-Kennedy alliance as further evidence that the vice president is the only one who can offer voters something different in November’s election.
“For all Americans who are tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way, our campaign is for you,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “To get results for working people and those who feel left behind, we need leaders who will fight for you, not just for themselves, and who will unite us instead of tear us apart. Vice President Harris wants your support.”
Updated 8:21 p.m.
