The Harris campaign shrugged off the possibility Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will make a difference in the 2024 race for the White House whether he stays in or not, as speculation swirls that the independent candidate may drop his bid and back former President Donald Trump. 

Trump, meanwhile, said in an interview Thursday that he'd be "honored" to be backed by the Kennedy family scion.

What You Need To Know

  • Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to deliver a speech on Friday about his "path forward" in the 2024 race for the White House

  • Some reports indicate that Kennedy may endorse former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president; that speculation was fueled, in part, by comments his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, saying in an interview earlier this week that their campaign was deciding whether to stay in through the November election or drop out and align themselves with Trump

  • Trump said in an interview Thursday that he'd be "honored" to be backed by the Kennedy family scion

  • Harris' campaign manager on Wednesday downplayed the possible impact that it would have on the race, telling Politico: "We are very confident that the vice president is going to win whether she is running against one candidate or multiple candidates"

"He is a very good person," Trump told Fox News in a phone interview. "If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place. He is a respected person

"But, overall, I thought the Democrats, he was a Democrat, I don’t know what he is right now, but he was a Democrat, they treated him very badly," the Republican ex-president continued. "I think he would have, he goes around saying he would have beaten Biden in the primary. I think there was a good chance."

As news emerged that RFK was planning on giving a speech in Arizona on Friday, with some reports indicating that he may drop out and endorse Trump, Harris' campaign manager on Wednesday downplayed the possible impact that it would have on the race. 

“We are very confident that the vice president is going to win whether she is running against one candidate or multiple candidates,” Harris campaign co-chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said at a Politico event on the sidelines of the DNC. 

She went on to say that while people were unsure of what kind of candidate Kennedy would be when he first entered– Kennedy entered the race as a Democrat before dropping the party affiliation – he has “landed” on being more aligned with the former president. She argued that Trump, similarly to Kennedy, is seeing a dip in polling numbers. 

“The more the American people hear from him, the more we see that they don’t like him that much and they think that what he is saying is more extreme,” she said of Kennedy. “You saw his numbers peak several months ago, they’ve continued to drop. I think that’s similar to what we are seeing with Donald Trump.”

While at one point, Kennedy was receiving as much as 15% support in polls, most recent surveys have him sitting in the single digits. 

Conversations about whether Kennedy was poised to exit the race exploded when his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, this week said the pair were weighing whether to stay or drop their bid and endorse Trump.

In an episode of the Impact Theory podcast posted Tuesday, Shanahan said if Kennedy presses on and receives 5% of the popular vote, “we actually establish ourselves as a party” and become eligible for future public campaign funds. But, she added, “We run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov. Tim] Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump.” 

“Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump and … we explain to our base why we're making this decision,” she said, adding it is not an easy decision.

Asked Tuesday to comment on whether Kennedy shares Shanahan’s opinion, the campaign directed Spectrum News to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by Kennedy that said, “As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.”

The possibility became more imminent when Kennedy announced on Wednesday that he will deliver remarks on his path forward on Friday in Arizona, where Trump was already scheduled to be visiting. 

Trump, earlier this week, said he would be open to appointing Kennedy to his next administration if the independent presidential candidate drops out of the race.

“He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him for a very long time,” Trump told CNN as he campaigned in Michigan on Tuesday. “I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it.”

Trump told CNN “I probably would” appoint Kennedy to a role in his next administration if he drops out and backs the former president.

“I would be honored by that endorsement, certainly,” Trump said.

In a a leaked video shared by the independent presidential candidate’s son last month, Trump criticized childhood vaccines and urged Kennedy to drop out and join forces with him.

It is not clear where Kennedy's supporters would go or who stands to benefit most from his potential exit.

Spectrum News' Ryan Chatelain and Joseph Konig contributed to this report.