On Friday night, former President Donald Trump pledged to form a “commission on assassination” attempts while standing beside Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a rally in Arizona.
This announcement came just hours after Kennedy halted his independent presidential run, endorsed Trump, and criticizing the Democrats.
“Soon after I was – I can’t even believe I have to say this – nearly assassinated in Pennsylvania last month, Bobby called me to express his best wishes,” Trump recounted, referencing an incident where a bullet narrowly missed his ear.
“He knows firsthand the risks incurred by leaders who stand up to the corrupt political establishment,” Trump continued.
WATCH 🔥
RFK Jr's EPIC entrance to President Trump's rally in Arizona after endorsing Trump pic.twitter.com/iL4RMlKK4D
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 23, 2024
“When you stand up, you bring on some trouble for yourself. But you have to do what’s right. You have to do what is right for the country. I will tell you we are both in this to do what is right for the country. That’s one thing I can tell you.”
Trump highlighted the assassinations of Kennedy’s uncle, President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and his father, Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
“He lost his father and uncle in service to our country and Bobby himself was subject to repeated threats to his safety during the course of his campaign while being denied protection by the Harris-Biden administration,” Trump continued.
“And this is a tribute, In honor of Bobby, I am announcing tonight that upon my election, I will establish a new independent presidential commission on assassination attempts. And they will be tasked with releasing all of the remaining documents pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,” he concluded.
At a press conference in Phoenix, prior to his appearance at the rally, Kennedy explained why he ended his campaign to support Trump, and delivered a scathing critique of the modern Democratic Party.
“The Democrats were the champions of the Constitution, of civil rights,” he noted about the party when he was young.
“The Democrats stood against authoritarianism, against censorship, against colonialism, imperialism, and unjust wars. We were the party of labor, of the working class. The Democrats were the party of government transparency and the champion of the environment.”
However, Kennedy argued that the Democratic party has become synonymous with “war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big agriculture, and big money.”
He revealed he left the Democratic Party when it “abandoned democracy by canceling the primary” to conceal President Joe Biden’s mental decline.
Kennedy stated that the term “democracy” has lost its meaning for the Democrats.
“In the name of saving democracy, the Democratic Party set itself to dismantling it, lacking confidence in its candidate, that its candidate could win in a fair election at the voting booth, the DNC waged continual legal warfare against both President Trump and myself,” he remarked.
Here are highlights from RFK Jr.'s (@RobertKennedyJr) speech:
-Rips Democrats for abandoning values
-Explains how the media & Democrats worked to stifle his campaign
-Slams Harris becoming the nominee despite not winning any primary votes
-Explains why he is supporting Trump pic.twitter.com/ZmGAvAHl6W— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 23, 2024
He noted that every time either campaign collected all the signatures required to appear on a state’s ballot, the DNC “dragged” them to court in an attempt to ” subvert the will of the voters who had signed those petitions.”
Trump’s campaign sees Kennedy’s exit from the race as a significant advantage. Pollster Tony Fabrizio highlighted data from seven battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—showing that Kennedy’s votes would largely benefit Trump.
“In every single state RFK Jr.’s vote breaks for President Trump,” Fabrizio noted, estimating that this shift could provide crucial margins in key states like Arizona and Georgia.
Kennedy’s family, how have been historically Democrats, strongly condemned his endorsement of Trump.
In a joint statement, they expressed their disappointment, saying, “We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride.”
I am sharing a personal statement that my family and I have made in response to my brother’s announcement. pic.twitter.com/j7vTTabNYZ
— Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) August 23, 2024
“We believe in Harris and Walz. Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It’s a sad ending to a sad story.”
