Today, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his withdrawal from the presidential race.

“I’m not ending my campaign, I’m just suspending it, not ending it,” Kennedy said. “My name will remain on the ballot in most states.”

However, Kennedy said he decided to endorse former President Donald Trump and join his campaign after “deep prayer.” He said his deep concern about chronic disease and Trump’s promise to address those issues if elected ultimately influenced his decision.

“I may have only 10 years left to be effective,” Kennedy said. “If President Trump is elected and keeps his word, the enormous burden of chronic disease that is burdening and bankrupting the country will disappear.”

Before endorsing Trump, Kennedy noted that Trump could still win in a contingent election, but he would take his name off the ballot in the 10 states where his candidacy could be a disruptive factor. “If you live in a Democratic state, you can vote for me,” he said. “I encourage you to vote for me.”

Kennedy also used his speech to accuse the Democratic National Committee (DNC) of waging a legal war against him and former President Donald Trump, comparing Biden and the organization to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. He criticized Harris for not giving unannounced interviews to the press while he and Trump did.

“Are we still a model for democracy in this country, or have we made it into some kind of joke?” he asked. Kennedy noted that he was forced to drop out of the race when it became clear that he would “leave the election to the Democratic Party.”

There have been hints for months that Kennedy and Trump are slowly moving toward a political alliance. In July, Kennedy traveled to the Republican National Convention, where a video surfaced of Trump and Kennedy apparently discussing a possible endorsement. Trump campaign donor Timothy Mellon also gave $25 million to Kennedy’s campaign. Earlier this week, Kennedy’s running mate Nicole Shanahan hinted in a podcast appearance that he might drop out and endorse the former president.

In a Thursday post on X, Shanahan said Democrats were “appalled at the idea of ​​our movement aligning itself with Donald Trump.”

“MAGA Republicans used RFK Jr.’s sham candidacy as a tool to deceive voters and harm Democrats, and RFK Jr.’s dropout is an admission that their gambit has failed,” DNC spokesman Ramsey Reid said in a statement.

The Kennedy team did not respond to a request for comment.

Launching his campaign in April 2023 as a Democrat and in October 2023 as an independent, Kennedy appeared to be a potential spoiler candidate who could significantly influence the outcome of the election. Throughout his campaign, Kennedy seemed to have mastered the art of using every digital space offered to him, appearing on podcasts and in TikTok Lives, courting crypto donors. When he was not offered a seat on the debate stage alongside Trump and President Joe Biden, Kennedy moderated a parallel debate that was streamed online and on X and was watched by over 9 million people.