According to Xinhua News Agency, Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate for the 2024 US presidential election, announced on the 23rd that he would suspend his campaign activities and instead support the Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump.
Robert Kennedy Jr. stated in a court filing in Pennsylvania that due to his support for Trump, he and his running mate Nicole Shanahan have decided to withdraw their campaign petition in Pennsylvania.
According to US media analysis, this move may add new uncertainty to the US elections.
Endorse Trump
Opposed by family members
According to the Daily Economic News, Robert Kennedy Jr. was an American environmentalist, lawyer, and anti vaccine activist. He was the son of former US Attorney General and New York State Senator Robert Kennedy, as well as the nephew of the 35th US President John F. Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated in the 1960s.
Kennedy Jr. came from a prominent family in the Democratic Party, but in recent years, his public support within the party has not been high, and he is more popular among voters who support the Republican Party. Last October, Kennedy Jr. announced his withdrawal from the Democratic presidential nomination race and ran as an independent.
According to Xinhua News Agency citing Agence France Presse, Kennedy condemned the Democratic Party's selection of Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate without a primary, and listed many grievances against the Democratic Party, saying that these factors have led him to support Trump now.
Little Kennedy's approach was opposed by the majority of members of the Kennedy family.
"Our brothers decided to support Trump today, which is a betrayal of the most cherished values of our father and our family," the five sisters of Little Kennedy said in a joint statement supporting Harris.
At a campaign event held in Glendale, California on the 23rd, Trump praised the appearance of Kennedy Jr., stating that they would "fight together". Trump also announced at the event that if elected, he would establish an independent committee to investigate attempts to assassinate the president.
Agence France Presse said that analysts have different opinions on the impact of Kennedy's withdrawal on the presidential campaign and how many of his supporters will turn to Trump or Harris.
William Rosenberg, a political science professor at Drexel University in the United States, said that given Kennedy's low approval rating in polls, this move is unlikely to have an impact on the election results.
According to Reuters, a Ipsos poll this month showed that Kennedy's national approval rating has dropped to 4%. Although this number is low, it still makes sense for Kennedy to side with Trump given the current difficult race between Trump and Harris.
Vice President Harris of the United States officially
Accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination
On August 22nd local time, US Vice President Kamala Harris attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and officially accepted the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2024 US presidential election.
On the 20th, during the Democratic National Convention, Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination via video. She expressed her great honor in receiving the Democratic Party's presidential nomination and stated that she will "work together with her Democratic colleagues to plan a new path forward".
On the evening of the 21st, Minnesota Governor and Democrat Tim Waltz officially accepted his nomination as the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention.
The 2024 US presidential election will be held in early November. On July 21st, under political and public pressure, US President and Democrat Biden announced his withdrawal from running for re-election and supported Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate. Harris quickly gained widespread support within the Democratic Party. On the early morning of August 6th, the Democratic National Committee announced that Harris had received 99% of the party's delegate votes, officially securing the party's presidential nomination.