Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering dropping out of the presidential race by the end of the week, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
Sources told ABC News that Kennedy intends to support Donald Trump. But when ABC News asked him directly whether he would support the former president, Kennedy responded, “I will neither confirm nor deny that.”
“We don’t talk about all that,” he said.
Sources cautioned that the decision was not yet finalized and could still change, with one adding that Kennedy is hoping, in part, to finalize things quickly in an attempt to stall the momentum of the Democratic National Convention.
One possible scenario currently being discussed would be for Kennedy to appear on stage with Trump at an event in Phoenix on Friday, though sources have cautioned that Kennedy’s thinking could always change and sources close to Trump say no plans for Friday have been finalized.
Kennedy campaign manager Amaryllis Fox sent an email to her senior staff Wednesday morning thanking them for their hard work — but said no decision on what to do next had been made, a source familiar with the email told ABC News.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville on July 26, 2024.
Liam Kennedy/Bloomberg via Getty Images, ARCHIVES
“There are several potential leads, not just two, and I can attest to the care and consideration Bobby put into considering each one,” Fox wrote, according to the source.
A Kennedy spokesman said on X that Kennedy would “address the nation” live on Friday to discuss his “path forward,” but gave no details.
A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kennedy told ABC News of the Democratic convention and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris: “I think it was a coronation, that’s not democracy. Nobody voted. Who chose Kamala? It wasn’t the voters.”
He also complained about the way his campaign was handled.
“In four weeks, she went from being the biggest liability to the Democratic Party to the second coming of Christ without giving a single interview, without participating in a single debate, without adopting a single policy that anyone doesn’t find ridiculous,” he said. “That’s not democracy.”
