Washington DC,August 23,:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent running for president, is reportedly planning to call off his campaign on Friday during an event in Arizona. which cited two persons familiar with the matter. For an independent candidate to support the ex-president and make an appearance at Trump's event in the Phoenix area, Kennedy is also in discussions with the campaign of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kennedy's team announced that he would deliver a speech in Phoenix on Friday morning. Since early July, the Kennedy campaign has been silent. Friday's address will mark their return to the public eye.
His running mate Nicole Shanahan recently made comments in a podcast interview about the campaign's consideration of "joining forces" with Trump in order to avoid the "risk" of Vice President Kamala Harris's victory, If Kennedy were to withdraw and offer his support, the Republican nominee said on Tuesday that she would be open to Kennedy having a position in a future administration.
"This man is pure genius. I think he's brilliant. For a long time, I've known him," Trump told CNN. "I didn't know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I'd be open to it."
A source familiar with the negotiations told that discussions between Trump's associates and advisers and Kennedy's team started in July, before the Republican National Convention. In the same month, a phone call between the former president and Kennedy was leaked.
Notably, after first attacking each other during the campaign, Kennedy and Trump have recently warmed up to each other.
Kennedy has long been a vocal opponent of vaccines and has blasted Trump for his response to the COVID-19 outbreak and his proposal to speed up the production of vaccines, Operation Warp Speed. A Trump supporter, the president has previously blasted Kennedy for his environmental efforts and called Kennedy a "radical left".
However, Trump and Kennedy spoke on the phone in July, just days following Trump's assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. On the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the following day, Kennedy and Trump met in person following the call.
Since Harris became the Democratic ticket's front-runner, Kennedy has failed to generate momentum. Harris received 47% support, Trump 44% and Kennedy 5% according to a poll done earlier this month by the Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos. As it races to secure ballot access nationwide, the campaign is also rapidly depleting its cash. According to July campaign finance filings, Kennedy's campaign had a minimal amount of USD 3.9 million in the bank and roughly USD 3.5 million in outstanding obligations.
As a result of Kennedy's independent candidacy, Republicans and Democrats alike are worried about his influence on the presidential race, which comes down to a handful of states with razor-thin margins of victory. It is still debatable whether Kennedy has garnered more support from Trump supporters or those who favored President Joe Biden in 2020, but the Kennedy campaign recently stated their belief that they gain more support from Trump supporters.
