PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew his vote in Arizona behind schedule Thursday, a day before he and Donald Trump were scheduled to campaign miles apart in the Phoenix area, amid growing speculation that Kennedy might abandon his independent presidential bid and support the Republican nominee.
Kennedy is scheduled to speak in Phoenix at 2 p.m. Eastern time “about the current historical moment and his path forward,” his campaign team said. A few hours later, Trump will hold a rally in neighboring Glendale.
Trump, who was campaigning in southern Arizona on the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, said there were “no plans” for Kennedy to appear with him on Friday, but noted that they would be in the same city at the same time.
On Thursday evening, Trump’s campaign team made an unusual announcement, announcing that there would be “a special guest” at his event in Glendale.
Representatives of the Trump campaign did not respond to messages asking whether Kennedy would be the guest, and the Kennedy campaign did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on whether he would accompany Trump.
Kennedy’s withdrawal in Arizona, confirmed by a spokesman for the secretary of state, came less than a week after Kennedy submitted far more than the required number of signatures to appear on the ballot. His critics questioned the validity of some of the signatures after a pro-Kennedy super PAC was heavily involved in his efforts to collect them, potentially violating rules on coordination between candidates and independent political groups.
A year ago, some would have thought it unthinkable that Kennedy – a member of the most renowned family in Democratic politics – would work with Trump to keep a Democrat out of the White House. In recent months, Kennedy accused Trump of betraying his supporters, while Trump criticized Kennedy as “the most radical left-wing candidate in the race.”
But the two campaigns have been complimenting each other more in recent weeks and holding behind-the-scenes talks, according to people familiar with the effort. Both campaigns have accused Democrats for months of using the legal system to their own advantage. And both have indicated publicly that they would be willing to join forces with the shared goal of reducing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s chances of winning the election.
Last month, Kennedy’s son released and then deleted a video during the Republican National Convention showing a phone call between Kennedy and Trump in which the former president appears to be trying to persuade Kennedy to join his side.
Talks between the two camps continued, with close Trump allies quietly pressuring Kennedy to drop out of the race and support the Republican candidate, according to a person familiar with the effort who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Trump told CNN on Tuesday he would welcome an endorsement from Kennedy, whom he called a “brilliant guy.” He also said he would “certainly” be open to Kennedy playing a role in his administration if Kennedy drops out and endorses him.
Kennedy’s running mate Nicole Shanahan also openly hinted in a podcast this week that his campaign team could “stand down now and work with Donald Trump.” While she clarified that she is not in talks with Trump personally, she is considering Kennedy joining Trump’s administration as health secretary.
“I think Bobby would be excellent in that role,” Shanahan said. “I fully support it. I have high hopes.”
Kennedy, son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, did not disclose the reason for his comments Friday, but they come at a time when his campaign’s momentum has waned.
Kennedy Jr. initially entered the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat but left the party last fall to run as an independent. He built an unusually powerful base for a third-party candidacy, fueled in part by anti-establishment voters and vaccine skeptics who have followed his anti-vaccine work since the COVID-19 pandemic. But since then he has faced tight campaign finances and mounting legal challenges, including a recent ruling by a New York judge that he should not appear on the ballot in the state because he listed a “fake address” on nomination petitions.
Recent polls put his support in the mid-single digits. And it’s unclear whether he would even reach that level in a general election, since third-party candidates often fail to reach their initial poll numbers when voters actually cast their ballots.
There is some evidence that Kennedy staying in the race would hurt Trump more than Harris. According to a July AP-NORC poll, Republicans were significantly more likely to have a favorable opinion of Kennedy than Democrats. And those who had a favorable impression of Kennedy were significantly more likely to have a favorable opinion of Trump (52%) than of Harris (37%).
In an interview with MSNBC at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday, Harris’ communications director Michael Tyler said her campaign team welcomes Kennedy voters if the independent candidate drops out.
Voters who see Trump as a threat, who are looking for a recent path for the future, or who want “government not to interfere in their personal decisions are in good hands with Kamala Harris’ campaign,” Tyler said.
For Trump, Friday marks the end of a week of visits to swing states in which he tried to divert attention from the Democrats’ celebrations of Harris’ nomination as presidential candidate in Chicago.
He traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona to attend events highlighting his policy proposals on the economy, crime and safety, national security and the border. He will end the week on Friday with stops in Las Vegas and Glendale.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York, Michelle L. Price in Phoenix, Meg Kinnard in Chicago and Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.
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