RFK Jr. Suspends Presidential Race, Throws Support Behind Trump, Pushes Harris Conspiracy

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign for the presidency Friday afternoon, threw his support behind Donald Trump and floated a conspiracy theory involving the media and Vice President Kamala Harris.

"I will not allow your efforts to go to waste," the Democrat-turned-Independent told supporters at a news conference in Phoenix. He promised to "leverage" their work for Trump to continue to serve the ideals of "peace, prosperity, of freedom," which Kennedy said were at the heart of his campaign.

He said his name will remain on the ballots in many states, but he will withdraw from swing state elections. Kennedy said he believed he could still compete in a "contingent" election if neither Trump nor Harris wins a majority of electoral votes.

Kennedy said his decision followed "deep prayer" and two meetings with Trump, the first just days after the assassination attempt on the former president.

Kennedy emphasized that he once believed in the Democratic Party because it was the "party of labor, of the working class," as well as one that supported "government transparency" ... and a "bulwark against big-money interests and corporate power."

But it transformed, he claimed, to a "party of war, censorship, corruption big pharma, big tech and ... big money." He also accused the Democrats of "cancelling" the presidential primary to "conceal the cognitive decline" of Joe Biden, and called Biden's replacement by Kamala Harris a "palace coup."

He accused the media of now colluding with Harris, whom he accused of avoiding press interviews and concocting a surge of popularity amid a hoopla of "smoke and mirrors and balloons" at the Democratic National convention.

Kennedy's announcement ended an unusual campaign.

RFK Jr. was a puzzle to many voters. He came from a legendarily progressive political family yet pushed a number of conservative positions.

He's anti-vaccine and does not believe in government interference to battle climate change, insisting the market that created the problem can right the situation — though he has a reputation as an environmentalist.

Yet Trump once called him more "left" than Biden.

There were some far-out oddities during his campaign as well, such as Kennedy's confession that he once dumped a bear cub killed in a car accident in Manhattan's Central Park when a pal thought it would be funny.

He also said doctors once found a dead worm in his brain.

The impact of Kennedy's endorsement of Trump remains to be seen, particularly in the wake of a wildly successful convention for Harris.

Various poll results had revealed that Kennedy appeared to be pulling votes from both Trump and earlier Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Throwing his support behind Trump clarified where Kennedy sees himself on the political spectrum.

Trump responded on Truth Social after Kennedy's announcement: "RFK Jr. ENDORSES ME!"

He used the support as a fundraising opportunity, saying in a linked pitch for money: "RFK and I are both sworn enemies of the war-mongering corrupt swamp that occupies our nation's Capitol."

John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, son of Caroline Kennedy, endorsed Harris in a speech Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention.