Boy howdy, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been kicking over a few hornet’s nests lately. As a presidential candidate, he’s leading the ranks of the also-rans, commanding about 5 percent of the vote in most polls — but that still leaves him as an also-ran.
But, as a spoiler? Well, ask Ralph Nader — or Ross Perot. There can be a place in history for a spoiler, even if it isn’t in the White House.
Now we see that the scion of the Kennedy family will be addressing the nation on Friday, at 2 PM Eastern time, in Phoenix. This leads us to ask: What is he going to say?
“Independent Presidential Candidate [Kennedy] will address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward,” campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear announced in an X post.
The address is slated for 2 p.m. ET and will take place in Phoenix, Ariz.
Kennedy’s speech comes amid mounting speculation that he will drop out of the presidential race and endorse former President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, confirmed the campaign was mulling such an option.
“There’s two options that we’re looking at and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Waltz presidency because we draw more votes from Trump,” she said. “Or we walk away right now and join forces with with Donald Trump and explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”
Well, those are a couple of interesting possibilities. But as my friend and colleague Becca Lower pointed out recently, RFK Jr. harbors no fondness towards either Biden or Harris.
See Related: RFK Jr. Bashes Biden, Trump, and Harris in Presser After Biden Dropped Out
Becca writes:
When asked about Harris as the potential Democrat nominee, Kennedy said, “I think Kamala Harris is the party of war. She’s a war hawk. The Democratic Party was always the peace party. Kamala Harris is a war hawk on Ukraine, she’s a war hawk on China….I think she’s not going to do anything about the national deficit.”
He continued, “She’s one of the authors, in terms of civil rights, she has one of the worst civil rights records of any public official….She is one of the primary authors of the school-to-prison pipeline. Despite a Supreme Court order, she released [sic] 5,000 prisoners….she kept them in there, saying we needed them for firefighting and other public works projects.”
On Tuesday, another friend and colleague, Jeff Charles, indicated that RFK Jr. was considering dropping out of the race.
See Related: RFK Jr. Camp Says He’s Considering Dropping Out of Race, but Sends Mixed Message on What Happens Next
Jeff writes:
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering dropping out of the race and backing former President Donald Trump, according to his running mate, Nicole Shanahan.
During an appearance on the “Impact Theory” podcast, Shanahan discussed how the Kennedy campaign is considering its options.
So, let’s take a stab at putting all this together.
This Friday afternoon address is looking to be some kind of major announcement. This can only take two paths: Either RFK Jr. is dropping out or staying in. If he is staying in, the status quo remains. If he is dropping out of the race, that leaves three options:
- He quits and endorses no one, instead taking his ball and going home. This seems unlikely; one doesn’t schedule a major address to just walk away, and he gives every appearance of being very invested in this election.
- He quits and endorses Kamala Harris. This also seems unlikely since he has been disparaging of the Democrat candidate and her erstwhile boss, and no doubt harbors some ill feelings towards the national Democrats for Bernie Sanders-ing him out of the primary considerations.
- He quits and endorses Donald Trump. This seems rather more likely. He has apparently had conversations with people on Team Trump, and the possibility of a cabinet post for Kennedy has been reported to be on the table.
That’s an interesting set of options, and were I a betting man (and I am, on occasion, but I only gamble with my life), I’d be betting on the latter. This is a move that will be met with some skepticism on both sides, especially Republicans, as RFK Jr. has been, like most of his family, a lifelong Democrat. But his likely throwing his towel in with Trump would alter the equation more than if he joined the Harris camp, as any voters liable to be persuaded by the latter are already leaning that way.
But if RFK Jr. could bring, say, three-fourths of the 5 percent he commands over to the Trump camp, with an endorsement and a prominent role in a second Trump administration — well, now, that could be a game-changer.
Stay tuned for Friday.
