Former President Trump on Thursday said he has “no idea” if Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will endorse him but it was “possible” that the two would meet in Arizona on Friday.
The remarks on Fox News, minutes after Vice President Harris finished speaking at the Democratic National Convention, came amid rumors that Kennedy plans to drop his third-party presidential bid during an address in Arizona on Friday and endorse Trump.
“I have no idea if he's going to endorse me,” Trump said. “I know he's got a news conference. We happen to be in the same state, Arizona.”
“We will be in the same state, but it was quite different parts of the state, but it's possible we will be meeting tomorrow, and we'll be discussing it,” he added.
Trump and Kennedy’s appearances in Arizona are 10 miles apart. Trump is scheduled to address a Turning Point Action event in Glendale late Friday afternoon, and Kennedy is scheduled to deliver remarks “about the present historical moment and his path forward.”
Multiple sources within the Trump and Kennedy campaigns have said there are signs of Kennedy dropping out and endorsing Trump, but they have cautioned that nothing is finalized.
The Kennedy and Trump teams are still negotiating, with Kennedy potentially angling for a position in the second Trump administration. Kennedy is also weighing opposition from his wife, Cheryl Hines, who “really does not want him” to support Trump.
In a press release on Thursday, the Trump campaign also teased a surprise guest at their Phoenix rally.
“President Trump will be joined by a special guest as he delivers remarks about his America First policies and his vision to lower inflation and the cost of living, secure the border, and make our cities safe again,” the Trump campaign said in a press release.
When reporters asked Trump on Thursday if Kennedy would endorse him, he said that he did not not know, but that he would be honored if Kennedy supported him.
On Thursday, the Kennedy campaign also formally withdrew from the Arizona ballot, the clearest sign yet that Kennedy plans on dropping out.
Democrats originally viewed Kennedy as a bigger threat than Republicans, but polls in the spring began to show that Kennedy was pulling votes from both Trump and President Biden. Since Biden withdrew from the race, polls have shown that Kennedy is pulling more support from Trump than Harris.
Harris has a nearly 3-point lead over Trump in a head-to-head match-up, according to the latest averages from Decision Desk HQ, with 49.3 percent support to Trump’s 46.7 percent.
In a three-way contest, including Kennedy, Harris dropped just 1 point to 48 percent, while Trump fell almost 3 points to 44 percent, with Kennedy pulling in 3 percent.
Michael Tyler, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, has dismissed concerns that Kennedy's endorsement of Trump will harm the Harris campaign's momentum, saying Kennedy had "been propped up by MAGA donors” and been parroting “MAGA talking points.”
“I think that him dropping out fully cements … that this election is going to be a choice between Vice President Harris, who’s fighting for the American people, [and] Donald Trump, who, as I said earlier, is simply fighting for himself,” Tyler said.
