Washington — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his third-party presidential bid last week and approved Former President Donald Trump has lost his Secret Service protection following his decision to drop out of the race, his campaign said.
“Mr. Kennedy no longer has a USSS,” Kennedy press secretary Stefanie Spear told CBS News.
In a speech in Phoenix on Friday, Kennedy said he was supporting Trump because he saw no viable path to the White House. And while he said he was not “ending” his campaign — by remaining on the ballot in some uncompetitive states — he pledged to remove his name from states where he could be a disruptor. Kennedy was on the ballot in more than 20 states when he suspended his candidacy for the White House.
President Biden has ordered The Secret Service requested Kennedy’s protection after the assassination attempt on Trump in July. Kennedy’s campaign had long sought protection for the independent presidential candidate, a particularly serious issue for Kennedy, whose father and uncle were assassinated in the 1960s.
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The law requires the Secret Service to protect major presidential candidates and their spouses for 120 days before a general election. Other candidates may be designated for protection if necessary.
