Robert F. Kennedy Jr ends White House bid, endorses Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a member of America's renowned political family, suspended hispresidential campaign on Friday (Aug 22) and endorsed Donald Trump, adding a new layer of uncertainty to the race for the White House.

"I no longer believe that I have a realistic path of electoral victory," Kennedy,who was polling in the low single digits, said at a press conference in swing state Arizona.

The 70-year-old criticised the decision to appoint Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee without holding a primary contest.

Kennedy also listed several grievances against his former party, which he said had ultimately driven him to "throw my support to President Trump."

Notably, Kennedy failed to get on the ballot in even half of the 50 US states and his independent candidacy featured a number of bizarre twists -- including his claim to be suffering from a parasitic brain worm and a story about dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park.

In a joint statement endorsing Harris, five of Kennedy's siblings expressed their disapproval, saying, "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 is a sad ending to a sad story."

Kennedy's withdrawal came a day after the surging Harris gave an electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, accepting the party's nomination and embarking on the final 10-week sprint to election day on November 5.

The analysts have mixed reactions on the effect Kennedy's exit will have on the presidential race and how much of his supporters will gravitate to Trump or Harris.

It may be mentioned here, within few minutes of taking the stage, Trump was welcoming Kennedy to the microphone, accompanied by pyrotechnics and "My Hero" by the Foo Fighters.

An uneasy-looking Kennedy told the cheering crowd that he wanted to collaborate with the future President Trump to "get the chemicals out of our food."

Trump heaped praise on Kennedy, saying they would "fight together to defeat the corrupt political establishment.

Trump also used Kennedy's appearance to announce the formation of what he called an independent presidential commission on assassination attempts.

"They will be tasked with releasing all of the remaining documents pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy," he said.

The 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s uncle, continues to captivate much of the country and remains the focus of numerous conspiracy theories.

Kamala Harris and Trump are neck and neck in the polls less than three weeks before their September 10 debate in Philadelphia.

(With inputs from agencies)