RFK Jr. Withdraws From Election in Arizona Before Trump Rally

Independent presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly withdrawn from the 2024 presidential election in Arizona amid unconfirmed reports that he could soon drop out of the White House race entirely.

According to the Associated Press, Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, submitted letters on Thursday announcing they were withdrawing from the 2024 contest in the Grand Canyon State. Less than a week ago, Kennedy's team submitted more than the required number of signatures to be included on Arizona's presidential ballot, the AP reported—though there was some controversy over the role a pro-Kennedy super PAC played in collecting them.

Kennedy is due to deliver an "address to the nation" at 2 p.m. ET on Friday in Phoenix. Trump is also scheduled to hold a campaign event in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale on Friday evening. In a podcast interview released on Tuesday, Shanahan said she and Kennedy could "walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump" in a bid to stop Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, from becoming president.

Newsweek contacted Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who is responsible for overseeing elections in the state, for comment via an online inquiry form on his website outside regular office hours.

Will RFK Jr. Announce He Is Dropping Out?

When asked whether Kennedy was planning to drop out and endorse Trump, the independent candidate's team told Newsweek it had "no further details to share" beyond a media advisory advertising Kennedy's speech at 2 p.m. in Phoenix.

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday in response to Shanahan's suggestion that Kennedy could drop out and endorse him, Trump said he would be "open" to the independent candidate having a role in his administration if he dropped out of the race and offered his endorsement.

Referring to Kennedy, Trump said: "I like him a lot. I respect him a lot. I probably would if something like that would happen. He's a very different kind of a guy, a very smart guy, and I would be honored by that endorsement certainly."

He later added: "I didn't know about RFK, but I like him, and I respect him. You were saying, 'Would I think about him for something?' and the answer is yes. He's a brilliant guy. He's a very smart guy. I've known him for a long time. I didn't know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I would be open to it."

Will RFK Jr. Appear With Donald Trump at Arizona Rally?

According to the AP, a "special guest" is set to join Trump at his rally in Glendale on Friday evening, though no details about whom this may be have been provided.

Newsweek contacted the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump presidential campaigns for comment by email outside regular office hours to inquire if the independent candidate would be making an appearance at the Glendale rally.

Kennedy, a prominent environmental campaigner and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, picked up a strong following from within Trump's Make America Great Again movement after his vaccine skepticism during the coronavirus pandemic.

An analysis of recent polling by election website Race to the White House found that Kennedy dropping out of the 2024 race could flip the states of Nevada and North Carolina for Trump because of their overlapping supporter bases.

What Donald Trump Has Said About RFK Jr.

In a post on his Truth Social website in April, Trump described Kennedy as "a Radical Left Liberal who's been put in place in order to help Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the History of the United States, get Re-Elected."

He later doubled down, saying Kennedy was "far more LIBERAL than anyone running as a Democrat, including West and Stein," referencing third-party presidential candidates Cornel West and Jill Stein.

Kennedy hit back at Trump on X, formerly Twitter, suggesting the former president was "unhinged." He added, "President Trump's rant against me is a barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims that should best be resolved in the American tradition of presidential debate."

More recently, Trump has taken to praising Kennedy. During a Fox News appearance on Thursday, the Republican said: "As you know, he's a little different kind of a guy, very smart guy and a very good person.

"If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place."