Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to make an announcement about the future of his campaign Friday, potentially shaking up the race for the White House a day after Vice President Kamala Harris wrapped up the Democratic National Convention with a speech calling for a “new way forward.”
Kennedy has moved closer to dropping out of the contest and endorsing the Republican nominee, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. By the end of Thursday, Kennedy had withdrawn his petition to appear on the ballot in at least one state, Arizona, according to the secretary of state’s office there.
Kennedy is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. Eastern in Phoenix about the “present historical moment and his path forward,” according to his campaign.
Trump will also be in Arizona, a battleground state, on Friday. He is set to hold a rally four hours later in Glendale, which is just outside Phoenix.
Trump’s campaign announced Thursday evening that a “special guest” will join him at the Glendale rally.
“I have no idea if he’s going to endorse me,” Trump said late Thursday night on Fox News, acknowledging that he will be in the same state as Kennedy on Friday. “It’s possible we will be meeting tomorrow and we’ll be discussing it.”
The spotlight will turn to Arizona hours after the end of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Harris closed out the four-day gathering. In her speech, she reflected on her “unexpected” path to the nomination after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign last month, adding that, as a child of immigrants, she is “no stranger to unlikely journeys.”
“Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward,” Harris said.
Trump criticized Harris’s speech in real time on his Truth Social platform after spending the day in Arizona criticizing Harris’s approach to border security. Fielding reporters’ questions at the Arizona-Mexico border, Trump said he only knew of the reports that Kennedy may endorse him but added that it would be a “great honor.”
“I have a lot of respect for RFK Jr., you know that,” Trump said. “I’ve known him a long time. Very smart. A little bit different, but that’s okay. But he’s a very smart guy. He’s loved by a lot of people.”
Those comments were a reversal for Trump, who previously accused Kennedy of being a Democratic plant and a “Radical Left Liberal.”
Trump said Thursday he has talked with Kennedy multiple times in recent months “but not recently.”
Harris campaign aides have downplayed the impact that a Kennedy endorsement of Trump would have on the race. Kennedy sought earlier this month to meet with Harris to discuss a possible role in her administration if he backs her and she wins, The Post reported.
During a Washington Post Live event Thursday, Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon encouraged Kennedy supporters to join the Democratic side.
“We don’t know for sure what’s going to happen here, but we are building a party and a campaign that welcomes everyone,” O’Malley Dillon said. “If you are someone that was with RFK before, you have a home here.”
Kennedy’s poll numbers have declined in recent weeks, though his supporters could still affect the outcome in battleground states where the race is expected to be close. Kennedy received the support of 4 percent of likely voters in a Quinnipiac University survey of Pennsylvania conducted earlier this month.
The Democratic National Committee released a memo Friday morning arguing that a Kennedy endorsement of Trump would change “nothing.” The memo, from DNC adviser Ramsey Reid, pointed to the shrinking number of Americans telling pollsters they will vote for him and his declining favorability rating, especially among Democrats.
“With no meaningful base of support and sky-high negatives among Democrats, RFK Jr.’s threat to VP Harris was neutralized,” Reid wrote.
The prospect of Kennedy endorsing Trump has alarmed some of the independent’s backers. In an email to Texas supporters Thursday, Kennedy’s state director, Wes Benedict, said he hopes Kennedy stays in the race but that he will “understand and support whatever decision” Kennedy makes.
Trump is starting Friday with a trip to Las Vegas, where he will promote his proposal to end taxes on tips for service workers, an idea he first proposed there in June. Harris has since voiced support for the proposal, prompting Trump to accuse her of stealing his policy.
The Democratic ticket is expected to take a break from the campaign trail Friday. Harris is set to travel back to Washington, while her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is scheduled to return home to St. Paul.
Meryl Kornfield contributed to this report.
