Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces withdrawal from the 2024 US presidential race

On August 23 local time, independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his official withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and said he would support Donald Trump.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated in a court filing in Pennsylvania that he and his running mate Nicole Shanahan have decided to withdraw their election petition in Pennsylvania in light of their support for Trump.

At a news conference in Arizona, Kennedy said, "I no longer believe there is a realistic path to victory for me." He condemned the Democratic Party for nominating Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate without a primary election and listed many grievances against the Democratic Party, saying these factors have led him to support Trump now. He also mentioned that internal polling results showed that his participation in the election would be disadvantageous to Trump and beneficial to Harris.

Kennedy Jr., 70, is from the Kennedy family. He is the son of the late Robert Francis Kennedy, a former attorney general and senator. His uncle is former president John F. Kennedy who was assassinated in 1963. His father was also assassinated when he was running for president in 1968. Kennedy Jr. comes from a prominent Democratic family but has not had high popularity ratings within the Democratic Party in recent years. He is more popular among voters who support the Republican Party. In October last year, Kennedy Jr. announced his withdrawal from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and ran as an independent. Many US states have set entry barriers for third-party candidates. For example, they must obtain the signatures of tens of thousands of people. According to Agence France-Presse, Kennedy Jr.'s name cannot appear on the ballots in half of the states in the United States.

Kennedy Jr.'s actions were opposed by most members of the Kennedy family. Five of his siblings said in a joint statement supporting Harris, "Our brother's decision today to support Trump is a betrayal of our father and the values our family holds most dear." However, Trump praised Kennedy Jr.'s support, saying they will "fight together."

Analysts have different views on the impact of Kennedy Jr.'s withdrawal on the presidential race. William Rosenberg, a political science professor at Drexel University in the United States, believes that given Kennedy Jr.'s low poll ratings, this move is unlikely to have an impact on the election results. But some people think that in a situation where the race between Trump and Harris is hard to call, Kennedy Jr.'s siding with Trump may play a key role in some "swing states."

The 2024 US presidential election is scheduled to be held on November 5, 2024. At present, Trump and Harris are relatively close in support rates in many national polls. Kennedy Jr.'s withdrawal and support for Trump this time may bring new changes and uncertainties to the election situation.