Trump welcomes RFK Jr. into 2024 campaign at Arizona rally

Former President Trump on Friday welcomed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. into the fold, appearing alongside him at a campaign rally in Arizona hours after Kennedy ended his independent White House bid and backed the GOP nominee.

“Tonight I’m very pleased to welcome a man who has been an incredible champion for so many of these values that we all share, and we’ve shared them for a long time,” Trump said, introducing Kennedy in Glendale.

“I think he’s going to have a huge influence on this campaign,” Trump said.

Kennedy was greeted by raucous applause from Trump’s supporters, who broke into chants of “Bobby!”

“For the past 16 months, Bobby has run an extraordinary campaign for president of the United States,” Trump said. “I know because he also went after me a couple of times.”

The former president invoked the names of Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and John F. Kennedy, and suggested they were “looking down right now and they are very proud of Bobby.” Kennedy Jr.’s siblings have repeatedly distanced themselves from his independent bid, saying his views do not represent those of the family.

Trump, in a nod to his efforts to win Kennedy’s support, said he would establish a commission on assassination attempts that would be tasked with releasing remaining documents around the John F. Kennedy assassination attempt. Trump had previously vowed to do so when he was first in office but did not follow through.

The former president also said he would create a panel to work with Kennedy to study chronic diseases like autism, obesity and autoimmune disorders.

Kennedy has said ending the chronic disease epidemic would be a priority of his. He has also used conspiratorial rhetoric around vaccines.

Kennedy announced earlier Friday that was suspending his independent White House bid and endorsing former President Trump. He said he would look to remove his name from the ballot in key battleground states where he could potentially play a spoiler role, but would remain on the ballot in most red and blue states.

Kennedy has seen his poll numbers sharply decline over the past year, and most polls show him in the low single-digits. But even small shifts in support among his voters could be a factor in what is expected to be a close race in November.

The Trump campaign on Friday released a memo from its pollster, Tony Fabrizio, positing that Trump would gain the majority of Kennedy’s supporters in a head-to-head race against Vice President Harris. The memo declared Kennedy’s decision to exit the race was “good news for President Trump and his campaign – plain and simple.”

Democrats have aggressively branded him as a fringe candidate who, despite his famous last name, aligns more with the conservative movement. The Harris campaign sought to frame the Trump-Kennedy alliance as further evidence that the vice president was the only candidate offering something different to voters in November.

“For any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward, ours is a campaign for you,” campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “In order to deliver for working people and those who feel left behind, we need a leader who will fight for you, not just for themselves, and bring us together, not tear us apart. Vice President Harris wants to earn your support.”

Updated 8:21 p.m.