Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to drop out of the presidential race by the end of this week, ABC News reported.
Sources tell ABC News that Kennedy plans to endorse Donald Trump — but when asked directly by ABC News if he will be endorsing the former president, Kennedy said, “I will not confirm or deny that.”
“We are not talking about any of that,” he said.
Sources cautioned the decision is not yet finalized and could still change, with one source adding that Kennedy’s hope is, in part, to finalize things quickly in order to try to blunt momentum from the Democratic National Convention.
One possible scenario being discussed is for Kennedy to appear on stage with Trump at an event in Phoenix on Friday, though the sources cautioned that Kennedy’s thinking could always change and sources close to Trump say no plan for Friday is finalized.
Kennedy’s campaign manager, Amaryllis Fox, emailed senior staff on Wednesday morning thanking them for their hard work — but indicated a decision on the way forward had not been made, a source familiar with the email told ABC News.
“There are a couple potential paths forward, not only two, and I can bear witness to the care, examination that Bobby has invested in the consideration of each,” Fox wrote, according to the source.
A spokesperson for Kennedy posted on X that Kennedy will “address the nation” live on Friday to discuss his “path forward,” but offered no specifics.
Kennedy told ABC News regarding the Democratic convention and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, “I think it was a coronation, it’s not democracy. Nobody voted. Who chose Kamala? It wasn’t voters.”
He also complained about the way his campaign has been treated.
“She went in four weeks from being the worst liability for the Democratic Party to the second coming of Christ without giving one interview, without showing up for a debate, without a single policy that anyone thinks isn’t ridiculous,” he said. “It’s not democracy.”
NBC News reported:
The pending suspension of Kennedy’s campaign and subsequent expected endorsement of Trump has been an ongoing project of three key allies of Trump —Donald Trump Jr., former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and megadonor Omeed Malik.
The three men have worked behind the scenes in meetings and calls with both Trump and Kennedy to negotiate the exit and the endorsement, a source familiar with their efforts said on condition of anonymity to reveal sensitive internal campaign deliberations.
Trump’s campaign considers a potential endorsement as something of a work in progress, the source added.
Notably, Carlson, Malik and Trump Jr. were also influential in the selection of Vance as Trump’s running mate.
https://www.cf.org/news/robert-kennedy-to-address-the-nation-friday-trump-and-kennedy-will-both-be-in-phoenix/
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