Sylvie Claire / August 25, 2024
Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, heir to the famous political dynasty, announced on Friday that he was “suspending” his campaign and throwing his support behind Republican candidate Donald Trump against Democrat Kamala Harris.
RFK Jr, a scion considered eccentric by most of the Kennedy clan, vigorously criticized the Democratic Party in a speech, citing three causes, among them free speech and the war in Ukraine, for his decision to “run as an independent and now give (his) support to President Trump.”
I'm simply suspending my campaign,” he said, adding that his name would remain on the ballot in most states. “But in a dozen or so contested states where my presence could distort the result, I will withdraw my name and have already begun the process,” he said.
According to the polls, the impact of the support of the independent candidate, credited so far with between 4 and 5% of voting intentions, on the campaign of the former Republican president remains uncertain.
At the same time, Donald Trump was in the key neighboring state of Nevada, in Las Vegas, to promise tax cuts, before heading to Arizona, for a campaign rally in the company of a “surprise guest”, who could well be RFK.
Although Kamala Harris emerged from the Democratic convention in Chicago (north) on Thursday evening with a slight lead in most polls over Donald Trump, nothing is certain, especially not in the seven “swing states”, where large swathes of the electorate seem to have gone over to the former Republican president.
The vice-president accepted the nomination of overjoyed Democratic delegates on Thursday, at the end of a euphoric convention marked by Michelle Obama's powerful speech, the energy of running mate Tim Walz and a festive musical program.