Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly on verge of dropping presidential bid

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is shown from the shoulders up

By James RaineyStaff Writer

Aug. 21, 2024 4:12 PM PT

CHICAGO — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears on the verge of dropping his bid for the presidency, a long-shot candidacy that became even more difficult to pursue given the burst of enthusiasm for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

Kennedy has called a news conference Friday in Phoenix, with a news release saying the onetime Democrat and scion of one of the nation’s great political dynasties will “address the nation … about the present historical moment and his path forward.”

The announcement came as news outlets reported Kennedy would leave the race and following interviews in which his vice presidential running mate, Nicole Shanahan, speculated about an end to their race for the White House.

Shanahan said in an interview with a YouTube personality that the duo might withdraw from the race, with Kennedy potentially endorsing former President Trump, the Republican nominee.

The Bay Area tech lawyer also said that the independent ticket might stay in the race in hopes of creating a viable political movement for a future White House run. She added: “But we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov. Tim] Walz presidency, as we draw votes from Trump — we draw somehow more votes from Trump.”

In a separate interview with Fox News, Shanahan said that while Kennedy would make the decision, she was supportive of the idea of Kennedy, the son of former senator and attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, withdrawing and taking a job in a future Trump administration.

“We have the worst chronic health crisis in the world right now; over 50% of children are diagnosed with some chronic disease,” said Shanahan, whose daughter is autistic. “This is unconscionable, and we are willing to work with anyone who is sincere in their endeavor to fix and address this issue.”

Asked by Fox host Trace Gallagher whether she saw a home for Kennedy — who has advanced debunked theories about vaccines — in a Trump White House, perhaps in the Department of Health and Human Services, Shanahan said she did.

“I would fully support it. I would fully support a strong partnership dedicated to this issue,” she said. “A lot of … people comment that in his first term, he didn’t accomplish many of the things that mothers really were hoping he would do. [He] made some big mistakes around the pandemic. However, I think that he is sincere.”

In an interview Tuesday with CNN, Trump said of Kennedy: “I like him a lot. I respect him a lot. I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to” appointing him to an administration position.

Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday that he knew of no plan for Kennedy to endorse him but, “I mean, if he endorsed me, would I be honored by that? Absolutely.”

Kennedy, a 70-year-old Los Angeles resident, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The longtime environmental attorney and his 38-year-old running mate have been complaining for months about the Democratic Party, which has contested efforts by Kennedy and Shanahan to qualify for the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Kennedy, who dropped out of the Democratic primary race in October, accused the party of not supporting open elections, which he says his father and uncle, President John F. Kennedy, once did.

“My father and my uncle were members of a Democratic Party that was at the forefront of making sure that every American could vote for the candidate they wanted to,” Kennedy posted on the social media platform X this week. “Today’s Democratic Party is doing the opposite.”

Kennedy talked to Trump for about 90 minutes last month, sparking speculation then that Kennedy might consider backing the Republican.

Harris’ entry into the presidential race has drawn the lion’s share of media attention for the last month and pushed Kennedy further to the periphery. Lagging in the polls, he did not meet the requirements to make the debate stage alongside Trump and President Biden in June. He held an alternative session, which streamed online, but it drew a tiny audience.

When he has attracted coverage, it has sometimes been unfavorable. That included a revelation from the New Yorker magazine this month that Kennedy once drove the carcass of a dead bear cub from the woods into New York City, where he left the bloodied corpse in Central Park as a “prank.”

Federal election reports show that the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket has been able to raise $57 million, substantial for an independent candidacy but less than one-fourth of the amount raised by the Harris campaign. Kennedy had just $3.9 million in cash on hand Wednesday, Federal Election Commission data showed.

Kennedy had hoped that Americans’ disappointment with the two major party candidates — Trump and, for months, Biden — would give him a lane to create a nonpartisan “unity government.”

Now, he appears closer to unifying with the Republican nominee and spurning the party that his father and uncle once led.

On Friday, a few hours after Kennedy’s planned speech in Phoenix, Trump will attend a rally in suburban Phoenix.