Robert Kennedy Jr. quits, Trump and Harris fall into two-way competition | Real Time Headlines

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to drop out of presidential race and endorse Donald TrumpEnding a long-shot independent race that nonetheless threatens to upend the major party race between Trump and vice president, according to NBC News Kamala Harris.

Kennedy, 70, ran an unorthodox campaign, appearing at times to simultaneously propel and bog him down with his contrarian views and controversy on a range of hot-button issues.

While he never reached the level of support enjoyed by the Republican and Democratic nominees, poll The results of the presidential race showed that Kennedy had one of the strongest third-party performances in decades.

On a presidential map where victory hinges on razor-thin margins of wait-and-see voters in a handful of swing states, Kennedy’s emergence Ballots in 19 states may have a decisive impact.

In turn, Kennedy drew criticism from both parties, who accused him of essentially Run a spoiler campaign This takes votes away from their preferred candidates.

For their part, Kennedy campaign officials have repeatedly said they were closer to Trump’s actions than to Harris’s.

Nicole ShanahanKennedy’s running mate said in August that the campaign was considering whether to continue the campaign or “join forces with Donald Trump.”

Shanahan explained that the problem with continuing third-party campaigns is that they “risk a Kamala Harris and (Tim) Walz presidency because we…somehow got that from Trump.” More votes.

Video leaked in April already showed a Kennedy campaign staffer making phone calls to the president Joe Bidenthe presumptive Democratic nominee at the time, the “common enemy” Trump and Kennedy voters.

In July, another leaked video showed a marked increase in suspicion that the Kennedy campaign was campaigning against Democratic votes. Trump told Kennedy“I hope you can do something. I think it’s very good for you and very important to you.”

The Washington Post subsequently reported Kennedy has held talks with Trump about potentially supporting the Republican campaign and joining his administration if he wins.

Trump also said in the video that he agreed with Kennedy, who had spread the Debunking anti-vaccine claims For years, there have been questions about childhood vaccinations.

Critics often blame Kennedy and Shanahan’s ex-wives Google co-founder Sergey Brintrafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories, especially about vaccines.

The vast majority of medical institutions stated that Children’s vaccines are safe. 2024 WHO study finds immunization efforts have saved More than 100 million baby lives over the past half century.

Kennedy, who ran as an independent after dropping out of the Democratic primary at the end of 2023, is campaigning on an alternative to mainstream political binaries.

He relied heavily on his resume as an environmental lawyer and activist to portray himself as a killer of corporate giants and a voice for disillusioned voters across the political spectrum.

His political status may have been enhanced by his surname. RFK Jr. was a scion of the Kennedy political dynasty, the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated .

There is also a steady stream of interest in Kennedy’s wild personal life, which often brings him back into the spotlight.

In a recent interview with controversial comedian Roseanne Barr, Kennedy recounted how he once planted a seed. dead bear in Central Park—acquired on a falconry expedition north of New York City—and arranged it to look like it had been hit by a cyclist.

that story, consistent with report From 10 years ago, a few weeks later Kennedy reportedly apologized A woman accused him of sexually assaulting her in the late 1990s.

That same month, Kennedy provoked a backlash because he tweetedwithout prompting, “As president, I will not take sides on 9/11 or any other debate.”