RFK Jr. Is Finally Going to Drop Out—and May Give Trump a Helping Hand

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has decided to end his quixotic independent campaign for president, ABC News reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.

The move will come by the end of this week, with Kennedy leaning toward endorsing Donald Trump for president, but that has not been finalized and could still change, according to ABC. One source said that Kennedy hopes to make things final fast in order to put a damper on Democrats’ momentum from their convention in Chicago.

Kennedy plans to speak to the nation on Friday about “his path forward,” his campaign announced earlier Wednesday.

Kennedy reached out to both the Kamala Harris and Trump campaigns in the past few weeks in the hope of trading an endorsement for a cabinet position, but only received a response from Trump, albeit with no agreement. In recent days, Kennedy’s wealthy running mate, Nicole Shanahan, has floated the idea of either dropping out and joining forces with Trump, or staying in the race and laying the groundwork for a stronger presidential run in 2028.

Kennedy’s campaign was always on the margins, but had no shortage of dull moments, particularly with revelations from the political scion’s life. He was found to have once had a worm in his brain, he dumped a bear carcass in Central Park a decade ago, and he faces allegations of sexual assault and serial womanizing. His famous family as well as his fellow environmentalists disavowed his candidacy, which was backed by many right-wing donors hoping to hurt the Democratic ticket. Until October, Kennedy was still flirting with challenging President Biden as a Democratic primary candidate.

In the end, Kennedy’s small support base of environmentalists, fans of the Kennedy family dynasty, and wealthy new age hippies doesn’t seem to be enough to keep his campaign going. Not to mention the fact that even after cutting back on events, the campaign is still losing a lot of money.

This story has been updated.