The sources cautioned that talks are ongoing but said there will be clarity by the end of the week. One of the sources said the campaigns are working toward a joint appearance.
The decision to drop out will end the most prominent third-party candidacy in the race. Kennedy announced Wednesday that he will give a campaign speech addressing “his path forward,” days after his running mate said the campaign faced a choice about staying in the election or dropping out to back Trump.
Kennedy’s campaign announced he will hold the event in Phoenix on Friday. Trump, meanwhile, is also set to host an event on Friday night, in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb.
Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s running mate, said Tuesday that the ticket is weighing two options. One is to stay in the race and “risk” a Harris-Walz presidency, as she put it in a podcast interview, while the other is to drop out of the race and “join forces” with Trump.
Persuading Kennedy to back Trump has been an ongoing project of Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr., former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and wealthy donor Omeed Malik, according to a source familiar with the efforts who requested anonymity to divulge internal campaign deliberations. The three men have worked behind the scenes in meetings and calls with both principals to negotiate Kennedy’s exit and endorsement, the source said.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, said in an interview Wednesday that “there’s been a lot of communication back and forth” between Kennedy and his campaign.
“I haven’t spoken to RFK personally, but I know there’s been a lot of communication back and forth between RFK, between the campaign, between this campaign,” Vance said. “Look, our argument to RFK, and I’ll make it right now, because, of course, he hasn’t dropped out yet, is, look: If you want a Democratic Party that protected American workers and stood for strong borders, maybe disagreed with Republicans on things like tax policy, that party doesn’t exist anymore.”
Vance also said Trump wouldn’t promise a Cabinet position for Kennedy’s endorsement
And Tuesday, Trump told CNN that he would be open to Kennedy’s joining his administration if he is elected. Asked whether he’d consider putting Kennedy in the administration if he backed him and he won, Trump said, “I probably would.” He added, “I like him a lot. I respect him a lot.”
Mary Beth Cahill, a senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee, slammed Kennedy in a statement: “Desperate men do desperate things. RFK Jr. was recruited by MAGA, funded by MAGA, and parroted MAGA talking points. No one should be shocked if he formalizes his relationship in an attempt to maintain relevance.”
Trump and Kennedy met in Milwaukee last month during the Republican convention, which came days after the assassination attempt against Trump.
“I know the president’s been working hard for that, but it’s completely separate from whether RFK gets a Cabinet position,” Vance said. “It’s about welcoming a lot of those Democrats who feel abandoned by the party of Kamala Harris.”
Kennedy’s presence on the campaign trail has been minimal in recent weeks. He hasn’t hosted a public, campaign-sponsored event since early July, and Shanahan hasn’t been seen on the trail in months. Kennedy’s standing in public polling has slipped, too.
The campaign has faced a string of damaging stories, from groping allegations against Kennedy from a former family babysitter to the bizarre story that Kennedy picked up a bear carcass on the side of the road years ago and used it to stage a bicycle accident in New York’s Central Park.
In a podcast interview, Kennedy didn’t specifically deny the groping allegation, which surfaced in a Vanity Fair article in July, saying: “I am not a church boy. I am not running like that. I have said I had a very, very rambunctious youth. I said in my announcement speech that I have so many skeletons in my closet that if they could all vote, I could run for king of the world.”
“I’m not going to comment on it,” he added when asked again about the specific allegation.
And he also faces financial troubles. The campaign closed July with almost $3.5 million in debt, according to the most recent campaign finance report. Those documents also show that Shanahan, who has been pouring her own millions into the campaign, received a refund of almost $1 million in July.
Kennedy’s endeavor for ballot access in all 50 states has also hit a roadblock. He was recently disqualified from the ballot in New York state when a judge ruled that his home address used on signature petitions wasn’t his place of residency.
