Skip to content
Search

RFK Jr. Suspends Campaign, Endorses Trump

RFK Jr. Suspends Campaign, Endorses Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suspended his 2024 presidential campaign, and according to a court filing in Pennsylvania on Friday will throw his weight behind former President Donald Trump.

Multiple news outlets reported on Wednesday that independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. was planning to drop out of the race and endorse Trump. He clarified at an event in Arizona on Friday that he is not terminating his campaign, only suspending it, and that his name will remain on the ballot in non-battleground states. He said that if enough people still vote for him and Trump and Kamala Harris tie in the Electoral College, he could still wind up in the White House.


“In an honest system, I believe I would have won the election,” Kennedy claimed, citing a vast Democratic conspiracy with the media to stifle his ability to communicate his vision for America to the public. While RFK Jr. blames the “system” from keeping him out of the White House, it could also be due to atrulybizarre, scandal-laden campaign in which he push a host of conspiracy theories, brushed off allegations of sexual assault, and admitted to dumping a dead bear in Central Park.

Kennedy’s siblings bashed his decision to endorse Trump in a statement on Friday. “We believe in Harris and Walz,” they wrote. “Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.”

Trump will speak in Arizona later on Friday, and has teased a special guest.

Trump said Tuesday that he would “certainly” consider Kennedy for a role in his administration. “He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him for a very long time,” Trump told CNN. 

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., told conservative radio host Glenn Beck that it would be a good idea to have Kennedy on board. “I loved the idea, love the idea of giving him some sort of role in some sort of major three-letter entity or whatever it may be and let him blow it up,” he said. 

Kennedy had a colorful run, from admitting to leaving a dead bear cub in Central Park to saying doctors found a dead, parasitic worm in his brain. On a more serious note, he was accused of sexual assault, to which he responded: “I’m not a church boy… I had a very, very rambunctious youth.”

The Washington Post previously reported that Kennedy had spoken to Trump about taking a job in his administration working on health and medical issues. Kennedy is known for being a vaccine conspiracy theoirst

“All I will say to you is I am willing to talk to anybody from either political party who wants to talk about children’s health and how to end the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy told the Post. 

Kennedy apparently begged both of his opponents for a job. According to the Post, he tried to schedule a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris to talk about working for her as well. 

Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, denied this. She said they were “definitely not in talks with Harris.” She also said they “have never brought up a cabinet position with Harris.” Then, she said: “we have offered to talk to everybody.” 

The Kennedy campaign had been weighing their options; Shanahan said recently that the campaign was considering whether they should drop out or “join forces” with former President Donald Trump. 

She said on the Impact Theory podcast that they could “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump and you know, we walk away from that and explain to our base why we’re making this decision,” adding: “Not an easy decision.” 

In July, the campaign spent more than it raised, and nearly half of the money that it raised came from Shanahan. Kennedy’s campaign disclosed refunding $925,000 to Shanahan.

More Stories

The Best — And Most WTF — Moments of the Democratic National Convention

The Best — And Most WTF — Moments of the Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention wrapped up Thursday night with Kamala Harris accepting the party’s nomination for president. It was a rousing end to a four-day party in Chicago’s United Center, one that was jam-packed with big-name speakers, bumping musical performances, and unbridled enthusiasm over Harris’ campaign, which is somehow only a month old with the election right around the corner.

The DNC has been lauded as a success, providing a powerful launchpad for Harris and her running mate Tim Walz to bring home their campaign for the White House — but the week still featured its share of WTF moments. The logistics around the arena were not ideal, the fossil-fuel industry was present, and the Democratic Party refused to allow a pro-Palestine voice to speak onstage.

Keep ReadingShow less
Queens of the Stone Age Cancel Remaining 2024 Shows After Josh Homme Surgery

Queens of the Stone Age Cancel Remaining 2024 Shows After Josh Homme Surgery

Queens of the Stone Age have canceled the remainder of their 2024 tour dates — including a string of North American shows and festival gigs scheduled for the fall — as Josh Homme continues his recovery from an unspecified surgery he underwent in July.

“QOTSA regret to announce the cancellation and/or postponement of all remaining 2024 shows. Josh has been given no choice but to prioritize his health and to receive essential medical care through the remainder of the year,” the band wrote on social media.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Chicks’ ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ Has Somehow Become a MAGA Anthem on TikTok

The Chicks’ ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ Has Somehow Become a MAGA Anthem on TikTok

One little funny/bizarre/horrifying thing about the internet is the way it offers up everything and, in doing so, makes it possible to strip anything of its history. But to paraphrase Kamala Harris, you didn’t just fall out of the coconut tree. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you” — wise words worth heeding, especially for all the Trump voters and conservatives making TikToks with the Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice.”

Over the past month or so, “Not Ready to Make Nice” has become an unexpected MAGA anthem of sorts, meant to express a certain rage at liberals supposedly telling conservatives what to do all the time (the past few Supreme Court terms notwithstanding, apparently). Young women especially have taken the song as a way to push back against the possibility of Harris becoming the first female president. 

Keep ReadingShow less
Sabrina Carpenter, Myke Towers, Cash Cobain, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week

Sabrina Carpenter, Myke Towers, Cash Cobain, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, Sabrina Carpenter delivers her long-awaited debut Short ‘n Sweet, Myke Towers switches lanes with the help of Peso Pluma, and Cash Cobain moves drill music forward with a crossover hit. Plus, new music from Lainey Wilson, Blink182, and Coldplay.

Sabrina Carpenter, ‘Taste” (YouTube)

Keep ReadingShow less
Hear Blink-182 Have Fun While Complaining They Have ‘No Fun’ on New Songs

Hear Blink-182 Have Fun While Complaining They Have ‘No Fun’ on New Songs

Ahead of the release of One More Time … Part-2, Blink-182 have released two new charging pop-punk songs, “All in My Head” and “No Fun.” The updated album will come out Sept. 6.

On “All in My Head,” Mark Hoppus sings about how hard touring life is staying in “lonely hotel rooms, cum stains on the couch.” But for as gross and sad as that reads, the song itself is pretty fun. Hoppus and Tom DeLonge trade vocals on the chorus: “I’m moving on, I’m better now, I sleep alone,” Hoppus sings, while DeLonge counters about how he’s not giving up despite feeling like he’s not good enough and how it hurts getting up. All that leads to an existential crisis, “I’m freaking out, is it all in my head?”

Keep ReadingShow less