The Latest: RFK Jr. suspends his campaign and backs Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced he is suspending, not ending, his campaign for president and will seek to remove his name from the ballot in battleground states because he believes his presence in the race would help Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris accepted her party’s nomination and offered her policy agenda on the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

Donald Trump will hold a rally in Arizona on Friday.

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Here’s the Latest:

Trump shouts out Sheriff Arpaio

Trump gave a shoutout to former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt of court for disobeying a judge’s 2011 order to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

Arpaio was spared a possible jail sentence when his misdemeanor conviction was pardoned by then-President Donald Trump in 2017. Arpaio lost his reelection in 2016.

RFK Jr. addresses the crowd

Trump brought Kennedy to the podium to speak. Kennedy told the crowd that Trump wants to end a neoconservative grip on American foreign policy and end censorship. He asked the crowd, “Don’t you want a president that’s going to make America healthy again?”

Trump welcomes RFK Jr. onstage at Arizona rally

At his Arizona rally, Trump brought RFK Jr. out on stage to a rock star’s welcome, with the Foo Fighters playing and the crowd chanting “USA.” With Kennedy standing nearby on stage, Trump invoked Kennedy’s slain uncle and father, John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, and said, “I know that they are looking down right now and they are very, very proud of Bobby.”

Trump announced he would establish a new independent presidential commission on assassination attempts and would release all remaining documents related to John F. Kennedy’s slaying.

He also indicated he’d tap Kennedy if he’s elected president and announced he would establish a panel “working with Bobby” to investigate the increase of chronic health problems and childhood diseases, including autoimmune disorders, autism, obesity, infertility and other issues.

Trump faithful queue in line despite triple-degree heat

Trump’s rally in Glendale, Arizona, set for Friday afternoon is a joint event with the conservative youth organization Turning Point, which has flourished with the rise of Trump’s MAGA movement and become a key well of base support for the former president.

The event reflected the youth organization’s imprint, with a high-tech production that included strobe lights, rock-star walk-on music and LED screens that’s a departure from Trump’s typical setup.

A long line of people waited in triple-digit temperatures outside waiting to get in, even though the event was nearing capacity. At least one person was seen being loaded into an ambulance near the back of the line as people waiting without shade.

Voter Voice: Democrats are ‘not the party of integrity’

Alida Roberts, 49, said Robert Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement of Trump speaks volumes about the current state of the Democratic Party.

“It says a lot. It says that he doesn’t trust what’s going on, that it’s not the party he grew up in,” Roberts said shortly after hearing Trump speak in Las Vegas. “It’s not the party of integrity. It’s not the party for the people anymore, even though they would like to think they still are.”

Roberts, who voted twice for Trump, said she was relieved and excited by the endorsement. She’d been “teeter-tottering” between the two candidates but knew that Kennedy’s campaign faced headwinds too strong to overcome.

Trump reiterates promise to eliminate taxes on tips

At his campaign stop Friday in Las Vegas, Trump sought to reclaim his vow to eliminate taxes on tips for service industry workers.

It’s a promise that Trump shared in June at a Las Vegas rally that Harris later echoed when speaking to her own supporters at a rally earlier this month on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“In our case, we mean it,” Trump said. “Somebody I know just copied it. You know that’s not going to happen.”

The Culinary Workers Union, a political powerhouse in Nevada representing 60,000 service-industry employees at hotels and casinos, has endorsed Harris. But on Friday, Trump said, “Can we get the Culinary Union to maybe vote for Trump?”

The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump reacts to RFK Jr. endorsement

Trump, who is campaigning in Las Vegas, said he’d just got a “very nice” endorsement from RFK Jr. that he’ll be talking about in Arizona.

“That was very nice,” he said. “That’s big.”

Dozens of his supporters packed inside a Mexican and Italian fusion restaurant cheered.

RFK Jr. calls his decision to support Trump ‘agonizing’

As Kennedy shared what he called an “agonizing” and “heart-wrenching decision to suspend my campaign and to support President Trump,” it evoked another decision he had described as difficult for himself and his family — when he left the Democratic Party to run as an independent.

When he announced that move last fall, he said it was “very painful to let go of the party of my uncles, my father, my grandfather and both of my great-grandfathers.”

During Friday’s announcement, he noted that joining the Trump campaign would be a “difficult sacrifice for my wife and children.”

Harris and her husband greet supporters at Chicago’s Soldier Field

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, are greeting supporters at Chicago’s Soldier Field before the vice president returns to Washington.

Harris accepted her party’s presidential nomination in a speech Thursday night to close out the Democratic National Convention.

Several dozen supporters and community leaders awaited Harris’ arrival in the parking lot of Soldier Field. Some are wearing “Harris for President” T-shirts as the vice president goes down the line shaking hands, greeting people and posing for photos.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’s suspending his presidential bid and doesn’t want to help Harris

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Friday he’s suspending his independent presidential bid and will seek to remove his name from the ballot in battleground states because he believes his presence in the race would help Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

He said his supporters can continue to back him in the majority of states where they are unlikely to sway the outcome. Kennedy took steps to withdraw his candidacy in at least two states late this week, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Kennedy said the move followed conversations with Donald Trump over the past few weeks.

Before the speech, his campaign had said in a Pennsylvania court filing Friday that he would be endorsing Trump for president. However, a spokesperson for Kennedy said the court filing had been made in error.

“Mr. Kennedy has not endorsed President Trump,” said spokesperson Stefanie Spear. “The filing was made by an attorney and not reviewed by the campaign.” She said the filing would be updated.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says in a Pennsylvania court filing that he’s endorsing Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign said in a Pennsylvania court filing Friday that he’s endorsing Donald Trump for president.

The campaign also requested that he be removed from the Pennsylvania ballot, though it wasn’t immediately clear that he was officially dropping out of the race. It came a day after he sought to be removed from Arizona’s ballot. He is running as an independent.

Kennedy is set to speak in Arizona shortly “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” according to his campaign. Hours later, Trump will hold a rally in neighboring Glendale. Trump’s campaign has teased that he’ll be joined by “a special guest,” though neither campaign responded to messages about whether Kennedy would be that guest.

Amid speculation that RFK Jr. will end campaign, at least one says he’ll keep supporting him

Victor Marani, a 64-year-old retiree from Rio Del Mar, California, said he flew to Phoenix for Kennedy’s news conference after receiving an invitation from the independent candidate’s campaign.

“I learned a long time ago, don’t speculate until you hear what he has to say,” Marani said.

Marani, who identified himself as state chairman of the American Independent Party, said he would continue to support Kennedy.

“He’s not dropping out of California,” Marani said. “He’s on the ballot.”

Are convention viewing numbers a hint about who will win the election? Don’t bet on it

In a close election campaign with both sides looking for an edge, the party with more people watching their midsummer convention would seem to have an important sign of success.

Yet historically speaking, that measurement means next to nothing.

Eight times over the past 16 presidential election cycles dating back to 1960, the party with the most popular convention among television viewers won in November. Eight times they lost.

Through the first three nights of each convention this summer, the Democrats averaged 20.6 million viewers, the Nielsen company said. Republicans averaged 17 million in July. The estimate for Thursday night, highlighted by Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech, is due later Friday.

“It’s one of those interesting things about covering politics is that you see these indicators about what really matters, and a lot of times it doesn’t,” said veteran journalist Jeff Greenfield, who covered the Democrats this week for Politico.

▶ Read more about convention viewership

RFK Jr. set to speak in Arizona hours before Trump as questions swirl around possible alliance

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump are set to appear miles apart in Arizona on Friday as speculation grows that Kennedy could drop his independent presidential bid and endorse the Republican nominee.

Kennedy is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. Eastern time in Phoenix “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” according to his campaign. Hours later, Trump will hold a rally in neighboring Glendale. Trump’s campaign has teased that he’ll be joined by “a special guest,” though neither campaign responded to messages about whether Kennedy would be that guest.

Kennedy withdrew from the ballot in Arizona late Thursday, less than a week after he submitted well more than the required number of signatures to appear on the ballot. But his critics raised questions about the validity of some of the signatures, and the involvement of a pro-Kennedy super PAC to collect them risked potentially running afoul of rules against coordination between candidates and independent political groups.

▶ Read more about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Democratic Sen. Jon Tester says he won’t be endorsing anyone in the race between Harris and Trump

This comes as the vulnerable three-term lawmaker seeks to distance himself from his party’s leaders ahead of the November election.

Tester said he was focused on his own race and it shouldn’t be about national politics. He faces a stiff challenge in November from Republican Tim Sheehy in a contest that could help decide control of the closely-divided Senate.

Tester made the remarks Thursday just hours before Harris accepted the Democratic nomination in Chicago, following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race last month. The moderate lawmaker didn’t attend the convention and was the sole Democratic delegate from Montana to withhold a vote backing Harris for president.

“It’s about making sure we have a Montanan back in Washington, D.C., representing Montana values,” Tester told reporters during a news conference in Hamilton, Montana, about prescription drug costs, the Missoulian reported.

Tester supported Biden in 2020 but called for him to drop out of this year’s election following the president’s stumbling performance in a June debate against Trump.

Trump visited Montana two weeks ago seeking to boost Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL who moved to Montana a decade ago and founded an aerial firefighting company.

Harris confronts Democratic divisions over Gaza war in convention speech

With anger over the war in Gaza simmering, Vice President Kamala Harris tried to defuse one of the most divisive issues within the Democratic Party on the biggest political stage of her life.

Her remarks Thursday night in her speech accepting the party’s presidential nomination hewed closely to previous statements on the conflict, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Harris said she “will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.” She’s opposed restrictions on arms sales to Israel.

Then Harris pivoted to the destruction Israel has caused in Gaza, where 40,000 Palestinians have been killed.

“So many innocent lives lost,” she said. “Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”

Harris said she was working with President Joe Biden on a cease-fire deal that would also release hostages held by Hamas, a step toward helping Palestinians “realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.”

▶ Read more about Harris and war in Gaza

Former FBI Director James Comey endorses Kamala Harris for president

Comey writes in a social media post that the Democratic nominee has “made me feel like it’s finally morning in America.”

Comey was fired by Trump in 2017 as the FBI was investigating potential ties between Russia and the Republican president’s 2016 campaign. He’s since become a public critic of Trump, writing frequently about what he says is Trump’s disdain for the rule of law and democratic norms.

Comey was a senior Justice Department official during the administration of Republican President George W. Bush. But in the last several years, he’s encouraged others to vote for Democrats.

In a post Friday on X, Comey wrote: “Everyone who cares about the rule of law and America’s indispensable role in the world should vote for Harris and Walz. I will.”

Weeks after blistering Georgia’s GOP governor, Trump warms to Brian Kemp

Donald Trump is changing his tune on Georgia’s Republican governor after delivering a series of blistering attacks at a rally just weeks ago.

In a social media post, Trump thanked Gov. Brian Kemp “for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country.”

“I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.

Trump’s words marked a major departure from his comments at a rally earlier this month, where Trump tore into the governor in an Atlanta arena that is only blocks from the Georgia Capitol, blaming him for his narrow 2020 loss in the state.

▶ Read more about Trump and Gov. Kemp

Harris’ racial and cultural firsts were onstage throughout the Democratic convention

Vice President Kamala Harris, on the night she became the first woman of Black and South Asian heritage to be a major party’s presidential nominee, didn’t explicitly mention the racial and gender firsts she would set if elected to the White House.

Instead, she opted for direct mentions of her multiracial background and upbringing. She paid tribute to her roots as the daughter of a brown woman and Caribbean man. She honored the multicultural village of “aunties” and “uncles” in California’s Bay Area. And following her speech, the relatives who joined her onstage for the traditional balloon drop included people of different and often multiple, overlapping races, like Harris herself. Western attire and saris were worn side by side.

It was a way for Harris and others at the convention to display her personal story while offering a visual political message that could appeal to a broad swath of people who see themselves in families like hers. Around 12.5% of U.S. residents identified as two or more races in 2022, up from 3% a decade earlier, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most comprehensive survey of American life.

▶ Read more about Harris’ racial and cultural identity

The convention reflected the party’s emotional whiplash since Biden dropped out

Harris’ nominating convention has been a four-day romp imbued with a party-like atmosphere and a sense of optimism. It’s safe to say it would have been a much different gathering were President Joe Biden the party’s nominee.

Democrats have been through emotional whiplash since Biden bowed out of the race last month, clearing the path for Harris.

For months, Democrats had been despondent about Biden’s polling and his underwhelming speaking appearances. And many Democrats were convinced Trump could run away with the election.

Contrast that with the convention being held to nominate Harris in Chicago: Laughter filled the air, the mood was electric and searing jokes at Trump’s expense flowed freely. The event has also drawn an A-list slate of talent, from John Legend to Pink.

Not to be forgotten: There also have been words of caution about the hard work ahead.

Palestinian supporters never got their moment

Pro-Palestinian delegates never got the chance to take the stage and address the convention. It was a reflection of how the party has tried to avoid one of the more divisive issues of this election season as the U.S. alliance with Israel has become a political flashpoint.

Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas has spurred outrage over mass casualties and human rights violations in Gaza, and pro-Palestinian demonstrators have marched outside the arena each day.

“Uncommitted” delegate Abbas Alawieh had been in talks with DNC officials about speaking to the hall. After being rejected, he and other delegates chose to spend Wednesday night on the sidewalk outside the convention hall in protest.

Harris and Biden have both called for a cease-fire and the release of hostages taken in the October raid. On Wednesday, the parents of one of the young men being held hostage in Gaza addressed the convention.