Kennedy quits US presidential race, backs Trump

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr has announced that he is suspending his campaign and is supporting former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Kennedy, who belongs to one of the most-known American families in politics, said on Friday that he was dropping out because he did not see a “real path to the White House” for himself.

“I promised the American people that I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler,” Kennedy said at a rally. “In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control.”

As for his reasons for supporting Trump, Kennedy said it was the same as his reasons for leaving the Democratic party and running as an Independent. Free speech and Ukraine were among the reasons he cited more specifically.

“We just had a very nice endorsement from RFK," Trump said. “We’re going to be talking about that ... great guy, respected by everybody,” Trump said.

Polls suggest his exit will likely help Trump, who has slipped behind Vice President Kamala Harris in polls.

Kennedy is the son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former president John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy’s long-shot campaign was beset with troubles from the start. His own family opposed it and relatives attacked him publicly and brutally. “It is a sad ending to a sad story,” they wrote in a statement after his announcement. The statement was signed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Courtney, Kerry, Chris and Rory Kennedy, children of Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in California while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968.

Kennedy’s campaign appeared to be in even more trouble after reports said he had been in talks with the campaigns of former President Trump and Vice-President Harris. The Washington Post reported he had sought a cabinet berth from the Harris campaign. Kennedy confirmed in the rally that he had indeed sought a meeting with Harris but he was turned down.