US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr was expected to drop out of the race for the White House, US media reported on Wednesday, with the independent candidate due to make a major address today.
The New York Times and CNN reported that Kennedy, whose support was at 8.7 percent in a nationwide poll by The Hill this week, would back the Republican nominee, former US president Donald Trump, upon dropping out.
Analysts said that in the tight race between the Democratic Party’s nominee, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and Trump for the presidency, the votes of Kennedy’s supporters could determine the outcome in some battleground states.
Photo: AP
Kennedy is an environmental lawyer.
On Wednesday, his campaign said he would make an address to the nation today in Arizona, where Trump is also due to hold a campaign event that day.
“Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr will address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward,” his campaign office said in a statement.
Photo: AP
Separately, Trump spoke in North Carolina at his first outdoor rally since last month’s attempted assassination.
Trump spoke from behind bulletproof glass at an event focused on national security, although he briefly left the protection and walked into the crowd when an attendee had an apparent medical incident.
Trump blamed US President Joe Biden and Harris for the deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, and for wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
He asked the crowd at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame whether they had seen the speeches on Tuesday by former US president Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say: ‘Sir, please stick to policy. Don’t get personal.’ And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people,” Trump said, asking: “Do I still have to stick to policy?”
In Chicago, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz formally accepted his nomination to be the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate.
“It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States. What all we’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason. We love this country,” Walz told the Democratic National Convention.
Walz promised to focus on safeguarding freedoms and build for the future.
Outside the event at the United Center, more than 1,000 protesters called for a ceasefire in Palestine.
Additional reporting by staff writer and AP
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