Donald Trump introduced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at his rally in Arizona on Friday, where the Independent candidate received a warm reception from the audience. Earlier in the day, Kennedy removed his name from the ballot in swing states, suspending his campaign and offering to support Trump.
“With all those votes he was getting, he has a lot of votes and he could have gotten… I think he’s going to have a huge influence on this campaign,” Trump said to the crowd with Kennedy by his side. Trump promised to create a commission on presidential assassination attempts as a tribute to RFK, with the commission looking into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (RFK’s uncle) as well as the attempt against Trump.
Kennedy recalled meeting with Trump and coming together on issues they agreed on, including “having safe food and ending the chronic disease epidemic.” Kennedy has been an environmental lawyer for decades and an outspoken advocate for clean food and pharmaceuticals in the US. Later in his speech, he adopted Trump’s campaign slogan with his own twist, “Don’t you want a president that’s going to make America healthy again?”
The two have historically been critical of one another. Trump referred to Kennedy as a “phony radical left fool” and “Liberal lunatic.” In 2018 Kennedy wrote in a Newsweek op-ed that Trump’s “presidency has not just discredited our nation, but the entire American experiment in self-government.”
Earlier on Friday, Kennedy gave his address to the nation, where he announced the suspension of his campaign and support for Trump. Added support for Trump from Kennedy’s supporters could be crucial in delivering Republicans a win in November’s presidential election.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Address to the Nation https://t.co/Wf4xt12GSX
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 23, 2024
Kennedy described the events that led up to his decision to support Trump. He named a key advisor that brought them together, Calley Means. Calley and his sister, Casey Means, are outspoken advocates against corruption in Federal pharmaceutical, agricultural, and Food regulating agencies. They recently appeared on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, advocating for a healthier food system in the US.
He spoke of meeting with Trump and his advisors after the former president was shot last month: “In a series of long and intense discussions I was surprised to discover we aligned on many issues.” Despite not agreeing with his policies and approaches entirely, he said that he feels a “moral obligation to use this opportunity to save millions of American children, above all things.”
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