Robert F Kennedy Jr could hand a major campaign boost to Donald Trump on Friday amid speculation he will end his presidential run and throw his support behind the Republican.
Mr Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer who is the nephew of John F Kennedy, has the support of around five per cent of voters nationwide.
The 70-year-old has built a controversial campaign based on small-state liberalism and the rejection of large corporations.
He will address the country from Phoenix, Arizona on Friday to discuss his “path forward”, amid speculation he will endorse Trump and end his campaign.
His exit will prompt a scramble by both major parties to absorb some of his voters, which could push either Trump or Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, over the finish line in several key swing states.
A poll by the Wall Street Journal found that around half of RFK Jr voters would be likely to swing towards Trump, while around a quarter would go to Ms Harris.
If he endorsed Trump, more voters may transfer to him.
Trump has said he would probably give Mr Kennedy a position in his cabinet if he endorsed him for the presidency this week.
According to polls, Trump is not popular with Kennedy voters but more so than Ms Harris.
However, polling averages show that Trump would still fall behind Ms Harris nationally in a two-way race if Mr Kennedy was not on the ballot.
RFK’s press conference will come hours after Ms Harris’s address to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday night, where she is expected to focus on her backstory, including her stint working in McDonald’s, and her plan for the future.
The latest polls show that Ms Harris is leading Trump narrowly across the US and has picked up support in some swing states that were previously expected to vote for the former president in November.
In a podcast interview published on Tuesday, Mr Kennedy’s running mate Nicole Shanahan said he was considering a move to join forces with Trump but that it was “Bobby’s decision” and that he has her full support.
On Wednesday night, Trump’s running mate JD Vance said he would welcome his backing.
“I think it’s a great endorsement for the president to have,” Mr Vance told CBS. “I don’t know if it’s actually going to happen, but I’d certainly welcome it and encourage RFK to join the team.”
Public endorsement for job
Earlier in August, Mr Kennedy sought a meeting with Ms Harris to discuss a possible endorsement in exchange for a future cabinet job but the vice-president’s campaign rebuffed his offer.
He has since been critical of Ms Harris’s rise to the top of the Democratic ticket, telling ABC News: “I think it was a coronation, it’s not democracy. Nobody voted. Who chose Kamala? It wasn’t voters.”
It is thought the timing of his announcement on Friday is designed to blunt the impact of this week’s Democratic convention, which has seen supportive speeches about Ms Harris’s campaign from Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey.
The convention saw major protests from pro-Palestinian activists and uncommitted Democrats who have been critical of the Biden administration’s position on the war in Gaza. Delegates who were uncommitted to a specific candidate were denied a speech from the convention’s podium.
Mr Kennedy’s campaign has been mired in legal battles to get him onto the ballot in all 50 states. The rules for candidates are different across the country and some states make it difficult for third-party candidates to appear alongside the main parties.
He has also faced opposition from his own relatives in the Kennedy political dynasty, many of whom are elected Democrats, who say he does not represent the family, his uncle or his father, the late Robert Kennedy.
He also attracted criticism for his opposition to vaccines and his support for some conspiracy theories.
Mr Kennedy has suggested he does not believe the official version of events surrounding 9/11 and believes the CIA may have been involved in the assassination of his uncle in 1963.
The post RFK supporters more likely to back Trump than Harris if he drops out of presidential race appeared first on The Telegraph.
