RFK Jr. to address nation amid rumored campaign uncertainty
- RFK Jr. will stream a national address Friday
- His running mate recently suggested Kennedy may drop out
- He's exploring options to align him with either Democrats or Republicans
(NewsNation) — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will address voters Friday, days after his running mate said Kennedy may “join forces” with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
The event will air live from Phoenix, Arizona, at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. Kennedy will stream the event on X and other social media platforms, his campaign said in a news release.
It’s unclear exactly what Kennedy plans to speak about. The release from his campaign said he will discuss “the present historical moment and his path forward.”
Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, recently said the campaign is considering two options.
“One is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and (Tim) Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump, or we draw somehow more votes from Trump,” Shanahan said on the “Impact Theory” podcast, which was posted to YouTube on Tuesday.
“Or we walk away right now and join forces with … Donald Trump, and you know, we walk away from that and explain to our base why we’re making this decision,” she continued.
If Kennedy remains in the race, he hopes to garner at least 5% of the popular vote to establish a third-party alternative, looking ahead to the 2028 election, Shanahan said.
A Democratic official has confirmed Kennedy reached out to Vice President Kamala Harris to ask for a meeting about a cabinet position with her administration if she were to defeat Trump in November.