Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his campaign on Friday morning, made headlines by appearing alongside Donald Trump at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, later that evening. This unexpected development marked the official formation of the Trump-Kennedy alliance, a partnership that has the potential to reshape the dynamics of the 2024 presidential race.

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Sharing the Stage

The event, which drew a massive crowd, saw Trump welcoming Kennedy onstage, praising him for running an "extraordinary campaign." 

"With all those votes he was getting; he has a lot of votes that he could have gotten... I think he's going to have a huge influence on this campaign," Trump stated early in the rally, highlighting the significance of Kennedy’s endorsement.

In a gesture aimed at solidifying this new alliance, Trump announced that, if elected, he would establish a commission on assassination attempts in honor of Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated. The commission would be tasked with releasing the remaining documents on the 1963 assassination, records that Trump did not release during his previous term in office.

Trump-Kennedy Alliance

Kennedy, in his remarks, recounted conversations with Trump about shared issues, stating that they discussed topics that "bind us together," including "having safe food and ending the chronic disease epidemic."

 Kennedy, known for his controversial stance on vaccines, posed a question to the audience: "Don't you want a president that's going to make America healthy again?"

This alliance marks a significant shift in the relationship between Trump and Kennedy, who have spent years publicly criticizing each other. 

Trump has previously referred to Kennedy as a "phony radical left fool," a "Democratic 'plant,'" and a "liberal lunatic," despite many of Kennedy's views conflicting with those of the Democratic Party.

In 2018, Kennedy penned a Newsweek op-ed in which he harshly criticized Trump, stating that his presidency had "not just discredited our nation, but the entire American experiment in self-government."

 In another op-ed published by NBC News that same year, Kennedy labeled Trump's policies of bolstering some of the world's most tyrannical governments rather than promoting democracy abroad.

Spoiler Campaign?

Kennedy announced his decision to remove his name from the ballot in "about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler." However, he urged voters in states where he remains on the ballot to still cast their votes for him.

It is difficult to analyze the impact of the Trump-Kennedy alliance.

Kennedy is currently polling an average of 4% to 5% in most swing state polls. In most swing states Democrat candidate Kamala Harris are Donald Trump are running neck-and-neck. And are only separated by about 3 points. 

Some of Kennedy's supporters in Arizona expressed their intention to back Trump following the endorsement. 

Talking Policy

Kennedy shared that he and Trump had begun discussing issues such as food safety, foreign policy, and domestic investment earlier in the campaign. 

"We talked not about the things that separate us — because we don't agree on everything — but on the values and the issues that bind us together," Kennedy explained.

Kennedy also posed several rhetorical questions to the audience: "Don't you want a president who's going to get us out of the wars and who's going to rebuild the middle class in this country? Don't you want a president who's going to protect America's freedoms? And who's going to protect us against totalitarianism?"

Earlier in the day, during a separate event in Las Vegas, Trump reiterated his commitment to eliminating taxes on tips for service workers, a policy that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris embraced after he announced it.

"In our case, we mean it," Trump said. "Somebody I know just copied it. You know that’s not going to happen."

Kennedy’s campaign suspension leaves Trump and Harris as the two major candidates moving forward to the general election in November. While Kennedy has endorsed Trump, he still encouraged his supporters to vote for him in states where his name remains on the ballot.

"I want to thank Bobby. That was very nice," Trump said during Friday's rally, expressing his appreciation for Kennedy’s endorsement. "That was really very nice. That's big."