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A new twist in the US elections: RFK withdraws his candidacy and now supports Trump. How this could affect Kamala Harris’ prospects.
Phoenix/Washington, DC – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the US elections on Friday evening and in the same breath announced his support for Donald Trump. Shortly afterwards, the 70-year-old appeared on stage with Trump at a campaign event – the two are united against Kamala Harris in November. Kennedy’s support could actually give the Trump campaign a small boost. But the support also has some pitfalls.
Since the current polls between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are particularly close, there has long been speculation that the third-party candidate could decide the presidential election. In an August survey by the Pew Research Institute, Kennedy had 7 percent of the electorate on his side. Harris and Trump were neck and neck in the survey: 46 percent of respondents voted for Harris and 45 percent for Donald Trump. With a margin of error of 1.4 percentage points, that means a tie.
A visibly pleased Trump greets Kennedy on stage in Arizona – there and in other swing states, the support of the independent could help the Republican to gain votes. © Evan Vucci/AP/dpa
Trump is gambling on Kennedy’s votes in the US elections, but his support also has its pitfalls
Now Trump is hoping to take Kennedy’s 7 percent with him. As a reward for his support – presumably Newsweek and other US media – Trump may have promised Kennedy a position in his future government if Trump won the race. It is unclear how many votes Kennedy will be able to take with him from his campaign. Although polls had shown that most Kennedy votes tended towards the Trump campaignRFK support can also have a negative impact.
Republican Scott Jennings also warns against this. Jennings, a former adviser to George W. Bush, commented on Friday after Kennedy made his announcement: “We should look at every advantage that could bring us something … on the other side of the algebra there could be costs,” the expert said on CNN.
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“I mean, I’m old enough to remember when RFK was a liberal conspiracy theorist. Now he’s more of a conservative conspiracy theorist, but at his core he’s a conspiracy theorist, and a lot of people think he’s a nutcase.” He added, warning the Republican presidential candidate: “Don’t make promises you can’t go back on.”
Kennedy as a Corona conspiracy theorist: A controversial candidate for Trump
Kennedy spread conspiracy theories about the Covid vaccine during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. A fact that many Trump voters will probably agree with. But it could also dissuade undecided votes from Trump. And the Kennedy offspring is not without controversy in other ways either.
But especially in the hotly contested swing states, Kennedy’s support could be the deciding factor. And RFK is aware of this: “If you live in a blue state, you can vote for me without hurting or helping President Trump or Vice President Harris, and the same goes for red states,” Kennedy said in his announcement. “But in about 10 battleground states where my presence would change the outcome, I will remove my name.”
Kennedy as swing state support for Trump in the US elections?
In a swing state poll by New York Times and Siena College, there was a majority of Kennedy votes that leaned more toward Trump than Harris. In Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, for example, Kennedy was able to get 5 percent of the vote. Of these 5 percent, 44 percent favored Trump. Only 25 percent leaned toward Harris, with the rest undecided.
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It is still uncertain how the Kennedy electorate will actually decide in November. Kennedy’s support of Trump represents another twist in this year’s US election campaign in what has already been an eventful election year. Now that the Democratic Party is over, at least the candidates have been decided. (sure)
