Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent running for president, held a news conference in Phoenix on Friday to announce his decision to stop his campaign and endorse Trump.
Because of this constant, systemic control over the media and censorship, I no longer think I have a chance of winning the election. If I am not able to assure my supporters that I am seriously running for president, then I cannot, in good conscience, ask them to continue volunteering their time or making financial contributions.
“Throw my support to President Trump,” Kennedy continued.
“I got into this race for three main reasons; these are the main reasons I decided to run as an independent, leave the Democratic Party, and now support President Trump,” he stated.
While Kennedy maintained that he was not ceasing his campaign, he did say that he would remove his name from ballots in states that were still up for grabs.
Most states will keep my name on the ballot. Choosing me as your president won’t hurt or benefit either Trump or Harris, even if you dwell in a blue state. “The same will apply in red states,” he said. “… My presence would be a spoiler in approximately ten battleground states, therefore I’ve begun the process of removing my name and am urging voters not to support me.
As for the possibility of a contingency election—which would occur if neither of the two main party candidates obtained the required 270 votes to win—he expressed confidence in his ability to secure the presidency.
A “special guest” at Trump’s Phoenix event was Kennedy later on.
Following his announcement, Kennedy’s running companion Nicole Shanahan commended him and called on him to “save our children” in an online statement.
Although he was conspicuously absent from the Phoenix ceremony, Shanahan expressed his gratitude to Kennedy for his candidacy and referred to his involvement in his campaign as “one of my greatest honors.”
Millions of Americans were waiting for you to start this movement, and you gave it a spark. “Running this race with you has been one of my greatest honors,” she exclaimed. I am astounded by the courage you displayed in the face of censorship, outright character assassination attempts, and threats to your life. “Bobby, please rescue our children.”
Kennedy had previously stated that Trump had extended an invitation to serve in his government, with the implication that he would be tasked with supervising a health care portfolio; her remarks follow his claims.
According to Kennedy, the offer occurred during two meetings with Trump: one shortly after the July murder attempt and another a few weeks later.
During such gatherings, he proposed that we form a unity party. “We discussed Abraham Lincoln’s rival team, and that arrangement would enable us to disagree openly and privately, and even furiously, if necessary, on matters of contention, while collaborating on matters of existential harmony,” he stated.
Kennedy made his declaration not long after a Pennsylvania court document stated that he was dropping out of a ballot access lawsuit in the state “as a result of today’s endorsement” of former President Donald Trump.
On Friday, Kennedy’s campaign denied endorsing Trump. Paul Rossi, the attorney who had originally filed the paperwork, later said he had “misstated” Kennedy’s intentions and submitted an amended notice.
On Friday afternoon, though, Kennedy’s support for Trump stood out. While speaking on Friday, he brought up the fact that Obama had requested to “enlist him in his administration.”
A Massachusetts singer named Dicky Barrett, who has been a strong supporter of John F. Kennedy’s campaign, has voiced his disappointment that the senator would not be able to carry it through to November.
Does anyone else have a candidate that I am even somewhat enthusiastic about? With a “no,” he responded.
A woman from Arizona named Casey Westerman told AWN before Kennedy’s statement that she would gladly cast her ballot for Trump again if the former president were to endorse him. Westerman has already voted for Trump.
What she meant was that it would be great if he did.
Mary Beth Cahill, a senior consultant to the Democratic National Committee, characterized Kennedy as a “failed fringe candidate” and implied that Trump’s support would hurt Kennedy’s campaign.
Voters’ opinions of RFK Jr. deteriorated as they gained more information about him. Rather than receiving an endorsement that might help him gain support, Donald Trump is taking on the problems left by a former fringe contender who failed miserably. She wished him farewell.
After criticizing his presidential candidacy and endorsing Harris, Kennedy’s relatives were quick to denounce his support of Trump.
Members of Kennedy’s family, including Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney, Kerry, Chris, and Rory, issued a statement describing the endorsement as “a sad ending to a sad story.”
A future characterized by personal liberty, economic opportunity, and national pride is what we envision for an America that is both hopeful and united by a common goal. Harris and Walz have our full support. The principles that our father and family hold most dear have been betrayed by our brother Bobby’s decision to support Trump tonight. The message expressed sadness over the story’s unfortunate conclusion.
Generation Z has the widest gap in opinion between male and female voters, and this presidential race has become a referendum on gender roles in certain ways.
Gender bombshells like as #MeToo, the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris have politically mobilized young women, who are traditionally a fairly liberal demographic.
In contrast, there is a generation of young men who look up to former president Donald J. Trump as a savior of traditional masculinity because they believe that fast evolving gender roles have economically and socially marginalized them.
Four nationwide New York Times/Siena College surveys carried out from December to June of last year found that young women backed Joe Biden by 28 points, while men in the 18–29 age bracket favored Donald Trump by an average of 11 points. The gender disparity was 39 points, which was significantly wider than in previous generations.
Also, last month, after Ms. Harris became the presumed Democratic nominee, Times/Siena polls of six swing states found that young women liked Ms. Harris by 38 points, a 51-point disparity, while young males favored Mr. Trump by 13 points. (Check out our related piece on the change impacting millennial girls and young women.)
Minority youth and young men without bachelor’s degrees have found Mr. Trump’s rhetoric especially appealing. Voters under the age of 30 who supported Joe Biden in 2020 were more likely to be white and college educated in May’s swing states compared to those who were leaning toward Donald Trump.
An expert on the topic of juvenile gender inequality, Daniel A. Cox, has stated that, “Economically they’re getting shafted, politically they’re getting shafted, culturally no one’s looking out for them.” Cox is affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank. His message, his charisma, and the unrepentant machismo he strives to project captivate them.
P.R.R.I., a public opinion research organization, found that while there has been some movement to the right among Gen Z men, the majority of them still lean Democratic (30%) rather than Republican (24%). Even among young males who vote Republican, there is a lack of social conservatism; the majority of them are in favor of abortion rights and same-sex marriage.
Young men who want to vote for Mr. Trump expressed a sense of worthlessness in interviews. Being a guy, they said, had grown more difficult. They thought a strong president was important. However, they refrained from displaying virulent sexism or endorsing the Trump campaign’s ostentatious demonstrations of physical might. Their primary worries revolved around money, namely over whether or not they could carry out the stereotypically male duty of providing for a family.
According to studies conducted in the last many years, males in the United States have seen distinct roles portrayed by the two major political parties. Due to the left’s seeming rejection of traditional masculinity, many young men are seeking an alternative to the right’s embracing of it.
According to Niobe Way, a developmental psychology professor at N.Y.U. who has researched men and boys for 40 years and whose book “Rebels With a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves and Our Culture” came out in July, “I’m going to talk as a feminist: We do it, when we try to suggest women are brilliant and men are the problem.”
Trump is absolutely expressing, ‘I see you, I value you, I see your masculinity.'” she countered.
A 20-year-old Trump supporter and employee at a North Las Vegas, Nevada, Discount Tire named Ranger Irwin recently made the observation that American culture no longer “let boys be boys.”
“As men our age, we were taught at a young age, ‘You’re not supposed to do this, you’re not supposed to do that, you’re just supposed to sit here and be quiet.'” he mentioned. The experience has rendered manhood “a little bit harder than it used to be.”
Sensing a separation
Every generation since women’s massive participation in the workforce and higher education began in the 1970s has seen progress toward gender parity in the workplace and in income. Millennial women have broken new ground in terms of education, receiving more bachelor’s degrees than males, taking the lead in supporting their families financially, and rising to the highest levels of American society.
Over the past few decades, men have had it tougher. Male labor force participation has declined. Manual labor and other occupations that did not necessitate a bachelor’s degree have mostly gone the way of the dodo. Men who are single are becoming more common.
Some guys felt they had nowhere to turn when the old script for men was flipped.
A 21-year-old retail worker from Canton, Georgia, Alec Torres, who once intended to vote for Mr. Trump due to pricing concerns, now says his desire is straightforward: the ability to provide for his family.
He explained that they were unable to have children because they could hardly afford to eat three meals a day. “I wish I could afford medical care, own a house and a car, have a fulfilling work, and be able to take my kids to the doctor whenever I need them. Not merely survive, but live is what I desire.
Among his progressive stances, he defends the right to abortion and asks, “You want to be homosexual or trans? Okay, he remarked. The importance of boys becoming excellent breadwinners and fathers, he argued, has diminished in modern times.
In spite of maintaining support overall, Democrats have seen a decline in support among young nonwhite voters. A multi-racial man of Hispanic, Native American, and Black descent, Mr. Torres plans to cast his ballot for Donald Trump and had a soft spot for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
As women have made strides in overcoming decades of oppression, some within the movement have taken to demonizing or dismissing men altogether. Phrases like “toxic masculinity” and “the future is female” have been used, and books with names like “The End of Men: And the Rise of Women.” According to Mr. Cox, there is a page on the Democratic Party’s website called “Who We Serve” that lists sixteen demographic groupings, one of which is “women,” but men are noticeably absent.
The concepts also manifest in society at large. The evidence suggests that American parents may no longer choose boys over sons, maybe due to the perception that boys are more troublesome. Caregiving and other similar occupations have been on the rise, and they have long been associated with women.
Some young guys have reported feeling assaulted as a result of the changes.
Mr. Cox’s organization discovered that almost half of men in the 18–29 age bracket believe that men in American culture face some or a lot of discrimination. This is higher than older age groups and represents an increase from one third in 2019.
Exactly 20% of persons polled by the Pew Research Center agreed that women have benefited at the cost of men. However, 40% of the young males who supported Trump did.
“We tend to be simply in general looked down upon,” commented Daniel Romstad, 28, an auto body repair worker from Lapeer, Michigan, a Trump supporter and high school graduate. “The school system in general is more geared toward girls just because they’re easier.” He claimed that this bias begins at a young age.
