REPUBLICAN Presidential nominee Donald Trump revealed his re-election plan and delved into some of his proposals alongside Kari Lake and Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr on Friday.
This rally, hosted by the right-wing organization Turning Point USA in Phoenix, marked Trump’s first appearance on stage since the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
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Lake opened the show in her home state of Arizona, where she lost a previous election for state governor before now running for the US Senate.
She used most of her time on stage to praise Trump and attack her political rival, Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also hit the stage, making a surprise appearance just hours after he announced that he would suspend his campaign and support Trump.
“I don’t think I’ve ever introduced anyone who’s gotten applause like he just did,” Trump said of Kennedy Jr.’s entrance.
Trump called Kennedy Jr. his friend and said he ran “an extraordinary campaign” for the last 16 months.
“I can only tell you I’ve known him a long time, we’ve been a little on the opposite side of the equation, but I will say this – he is a brilliant, phenomenal person.”
“I’m proud of Bobby if you want to know the truth,” Trump said after acknowledging Kennedy Jr.’s late uncle and father.
Trump also announced on stage alongside Kennedy Jr. that he would establish a new independent presidential commission on assassination attempts – which would be responsible for getting to the bottom of what happened to his uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
The Republican nominee also pledged that he would create a panel to look into the causes of childhood health issues including auto-immune disorders, autism, obesity, infertility, and more.
Trump said that “top experts would work with Bobby” on this panel.
The former president said that he wanted to “salute” Kennedy Jr.’s “decades of work as an advocate for the health of our families and children.”
“Nobody has done more,” Trump said of Kennedy Jr.’s philanthropy work and activism.
“Millions and millions of Americans have concerns about toxins in our environment and pesticides in our food,” Trump said in his announcement of the health panel.
RFK JR. ADDRESSES THE CROWD
Kennedy Jr. eventually took the mic and addressed the crowd.
During his time on stage, Kennedy Jr. took aim at the CDC, the FDA, the USDA, big food processing companies, and chemical companies.
“Our children are the unhealthiest, sickest children in the world,” Kennedy Jr. claimed.
“Don’t you want healthy children?” He asked the crowd.
“Don’t you want the regulatory agencies to be free of corporate corruption?”
“Don’t you want a safe environment for your children?”
“Don’t you want to know the food that you’re feeding them is not filled with chemicals that will give them cancer and chronic diseases?”
“Don’t you want a president that will make America healthy again?”
“Well, that is what President Trump told me he wanted,” Kennedy Jr. said.
After Kennedy Jr. finished speaking to the crowd, Trump told the crowd that he believed the independent’s endorsement would “have a huge influence on the campaign.”
“Actually much bigger than you’d see in the polls. Bobby and I will fight together,” Trump told the crowd.
Suspending a Campaign vs Withdrawing
The main legal differences:
Delegates:
- Suspending: Candidates usually keep delegates they’ve won.
- Withdrawing: Candidates often have to forfeit their delegates.
Fundraising:
- Suspending: Candidates can continue raising money, especially to pay off campaign debts.
- Withdrawing: Fundraising options are more limited.
Federal Matching Funds:
- Suspending: Candidates may remain eligible for federal matching funds to help settle debts.
- Withdrawing: Candidates might lose eligibility for these funds.
Potential Comeback:
- Suspending: Leaves the door open for a potential return if political conditions change.
- Withdrawing: Ends the campaign definitively.
Election Law:
- Suspending: The campaign isn’t considered officially over until all debts are settled.
- Withdrawing: Candidates must follow formal procedures, including potential withdrawal deadlines.
Ballot Appearance:
- Suspending: Candidates can still appear on the ballot in most states, and votes for them will count.
- Withdrawing: Candidates are generally removed from the ballot, depending on the timing and election laws.
CAMPAIGN SUSPENSION
After launching his presidential campaign in April 2023, Kennedy Jr. later abandoned the Democratic primary in October of that year and chose to run as an independent instead.
But on Friday, Kennedy Jr., who was polling at an average of five percent, according to Real Clear Polling, announced in front of a rally of supporters in Phoenix that he was suspending his campaign, but would keep his name on the ballot in some states.
“I want everyone to know that I am not terminating my campaign, I am simply suspending it,” Kennedy Jr. said at the rally.
“My name will remain on the ballot in most states.”
However, in about 10 battleground states where Kennedy Jr. says he believes his “presence would be a spoiler,” the independent vowed to remove his name from those ballots and urged people living there not to vote for him.
What states will still have RFK Jr. on the ballot?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he would be suspending his presidential campaign on August 23, 2024.
- Kennedy announced that he would withdraw from the ballot in 10 swing states – including Pennsylvania and Arizona – to avoid tilting the election toward either Harris or Trump.
- “My name will remain on the ballot in most states. If you live in a blue state, you can vote for me without harming or helping President Trump or Vice President Harris, and red states, the same will apply. I encourage you to vote for me,” he added.
What state ballots will Kennedy Jr. appear on?
During his announcement on August 23, 2024, Kennedy Jr. did not specify what states he will pull out from.
- Despite suspending his campaign, Kennedy Jr. was previously granted ballot access in 24 states, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.
“In a series of long and intense discussions, I was surprised to discover that we were aligned on many key issues,” Kennedy Jr. said about Trump as he endorsed him.
“In those meetings, [Trump] suggested we join forces as a unity party. We talked about Abraham Lincoln’s team of rivals.”
“That arrangement would allow us to disagree publicly and privately, and fiercely if need be on issues over which we differ.”
Kennedy Jr. said joining forces with Trump was a “difficult sacrifice” but may be worth it if the former president is elected and “honors” his word.
Kennedy Family Statement
Members of the Kennedy family released a statement after Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement of Trump.
“We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride,” said a statement signed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy.
“We believe in Harris and Walz,” the statement continued.
“Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.
“It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
POSSIBLE CABINET POSITION?
After news of Kennedy Jr.’s plans to suspend his campaign surfaced this week, reports came to light that the independent was willing to trade his endorsement for a cabinet position on either ticket.
A Kennedy campaign official told CNN that the candidate reached out to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign in hopes of arranging a meeting where the two could discuss a possible role in her administration if he were to endorse her.
However, Harris and her campaign did not respond to Kennedy Jr.’s offer.
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The independent candidate reportedly even tried going through President Joe Biden’s former White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, but his efforts got him nowhere.
Trump, however, did not rule out the possibility of offering Kennedy Jr. a role in a future administration and had a series of conversations with him regarding their views and policy proposals – announcing on Friday that Kennedy would be part of his administration’s new health panel.
Who is RFK Jr.’s family?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a well-known member of the famed Kennedy family.
He is the son of the late former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and human rights advocate Ethel Kennedy.
He is also the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on November 22, 1963, while in office.
RFK Jr. has been married to actress and comedian Cheryl Hines since 2014.
He was previously married to Mary Richardson Kennedy from 1994 to 2012 and Emily Ruth Black from 1982 to 1994.
The politician has six kids, including Robert Francis “Bobby” Kennedy III, Kathleen Alexandra “Kick” Kennedy, Conor Richardson Kennedy, Kyra LeMoyne Kennedy, William Finbar “Finn” Kennedy, and Aidan Caohman Vieques Kennedy.
