The non-partisan US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy wants to support the Republican opponent in the US election campaign Donald Trump support.
Such rumors have been circulating for some time. “I no longer believe that I have a realistic chance of winning the election,” Kennedy said on Friday during an appearance in Phoenix (Arizona). That is why he wants to support the Republican candidate.
Kennedy withdraws from campaigns in swing states
Kennedy is withdrawing from the race for the White House in particularly contested states. His name will be removed from the ballot in so-called swing states, the 70-year-old announced on Friday.
The 70-year-old nephew of former President John F. Kennedy told the press on Friday that he had met with Trump and his advisors several times. They found agreement on various issues – such as border security, freedom of speech and efforts to end current wars. “There are still many issues and attitudes on which we have very big differences. But on other important issues we agree.”
According to experts, the currently close US presidential race between Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris the votes of Kennedy’s supporters in some contested states could be decisive. Kennedy was at 8.7 percent in the latest national polls conducted by the political website “The Hill” this week. His supporters also said that Kennedy hoped to become a minister if Trump won the election on November 5.
The 70-year-old is the son of former Attorney General and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, like his brother John F. Kennedy five years earlier. He originally wanted to challenge incumbent Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.
Trump: “I want to thank Bobby”
Kennedy also justified his decision by saying he was disillusioned with the Democrats. “In the name of saving democracy, the Democratic Party has set out to dismantle it.” He accused presidential candidate Harris’s party of trying to influence the election campaign using undemocratic means and to his and Trump’s detriment.
Trump welcomed Kennedy’s decision. “I want to thank Bobby, that was very nice,” Trump said at a campaign appearance in Las Vegas. “He’s a great guy, everyone respects him.” Contrary to this opinion, Kennedy has repeatedly made headlines in the USA that have cast him in a dubious light. He himself once said that he had “a lot of skeletons in the closet.” Democratic campaign strategists reacted calmly to Kennedy’s announcement. Trump will not use his support, but will inherit the burdens of a failed outsider candidate.