While Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign has retreated from the public eye in recent months, a group of people close to former President Donald Trump have been working behind the scenes to get him in their corner.
Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son; Tucker Carlson, the influential right-wing commentator who spoke at Trump’s convention; and Omeed Malik, a businessman and donor who has contributed to both Trump’s and Kennedy’s campaigns this election cycle, have been working behind the scenes to convince Kennedy to drop his independent bid for the White House and endorse Trump, two sources familiar with the efforts said.
The talks began about a week before the Republican National Convention last month — the start of a historically disruptive election season. Within days, a would-be assassin injured Trump at a rally, Trump selected a running mate and President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, opening a new chapter in the contest.
Now Kennedy plans to suspend his campaign on Friday and endorse Trump, two sources familiar with his plans told NBC News, but noted that talks are ongoing.
Kennedy announced earlier Wednesday that he would speak at an event in Phoenix on Friday. Trump will hold his own event later in the day in nearby Glendale, Arizona, with Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action, closely allied conservative groups.
Trump and Kennedy spoke by phone on the Sunday before the convention began and met in person on Monday. Kennedy said at the time that the meeting was intended to discuss national unity.
While the arguments between Trump’s allies and the Kennedy campaign began before Biden withdrew, they intensified as the election moved into flux. When Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the Democratic presidential nominee, support for third-party candidates plummeted, with more voters choosing a major-party candidate than in the Biden-Trump matchup.
Trump Jr., Carlson and Malik each held a series of meetings and phone calls with each candidate to negotiate an exit and Kennedy’s endorsement. Polls also played a role in the push as numbers showed Kennedy’s support would chip away at Trump’s, said one of the sources, who was briefed on the talks.
A Trump-Kennedy pact is an outcome that Democrats — including some other Kennedys — have been predicting for some time. Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, told NBC News on Wednesday that he “wouldn’t be surprised if he worked for President Trump at some point or in the past.”
“I think it’s clear that their interests align,” Schlossberg said.
The behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts aimed at Kennedy stood in stark contrast to Kennedy’s actual campaign activities at the time.
Although he appeared at conferences and other events, his campaign essentially stopped holding public events of its own. His poll numbers were falling, his campaign budget was growing, he was having trouble getting on the ballot in some states, and a series of negative stories about his past were distracting him from his efforts to win votes.
Then Kennedy’s running mate and biggest donor, Nicole Shanahan, said in a podcast interview that the candidates were considering two options: stay in the race and “risk” a Harris-Walz presidency or “join forces” with Trump.
“Technically, we could win,” Shanahan said on “Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu.”
But, she said, “we run the risk of a Kamala Harris-Walz presidency because we’re taking votes away from Trump or somehow taking more votes away from Trump.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
