Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump. He will no longer run for office in 10 states where he could have stolen crucial votes from Trump in his battle with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. He will also no longer actively campaign for himself.

According to Kennedy, in short, his own polls show that his participation in all 10 states would be detrimental to Trump’s chances. In other states, he remains on the ballot.

Kennedy said he wanted his name removed from the ballot because of free speech, the war in Ukraine and “the war on our children.” The independent politician was not seen as a serious potential winner. But he could thwart both Trump and Harris by stealing crucial votes from them.

At a rally in North Carolina, Trump thanked Bobby for his support. “That was very nice,” he said. The former president called him “a great guy who is respected by everyone.”

According to Kennedy, he spoke to Trump twice after the July assassination attempt and the former president offered him a place in his cabinet if he was elected. Trump has not confirmed this.

Robert Kennedy is the nephew of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the son of his assassinated brother Robert F. Kennedy Sr. Kennedy Jr., 70, is a Democrat and initially wanted to run against Joe Biden. When the Democratic Party nominated the incumbent president, Kennedy decided to run for president as an independent candidate.

Several members of the Kennedy family have previously expressed dismay at Kennedy’s involvement in the presidential election. They publicly supported Democrat Joe Biden when he was still the presidential front-runner and are now backing his successor, Kamala Harris.

Several of Kennedy’s siblings issued a statement today condemning their brother for his support of Trump. “Our brother Bobby’s decision to support Trump today is a betrayal of the values ​​that our father and our family hold dear,” they said. “It is a sad ending to a sad story.”