Senior political correspondent Maggie Haberman said independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropping out of the race and endorsing former President Trump makes sense because they are “two very transactional people.”
Haberman joined CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Friday to discuss the news of Kennedy withdrawing his long-shot bid and unusual endorsement of Trump.
“So, Wolf, these are two very transactional people, and Robert Kennedy Jr. has been looking around trying to make some kind of an endorsement deal with both candidates,” Haberman said, highlighted by Mediaite.
Kennedy said his name would remain on the ballot in most red and blue states but would be removed from swing-state ballots where he could make a difference between Trump and his Democratic challenger, Vice President Harris.
Haberman said Kennedy sought to have a meeting with both the Trump and the Harris campaigns, as the future of his political career appeared to be getting dimmer. Trump and Kennedy met, while the Harris campaign did not meet with him, she said.
“Trump has been much more receptive,” Haberman said.
The former president has been open to having conversations with Kennedy, dating back to Trump’s 2017 transition into office, she said.
“He likes him. Trump is a credentialist and he likes the Kennedy name,” Haberman said.
The conversation between Trump and Kennedy began before the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month and moved toward Friday’s endorsement.
Leading up to Kennedy’s speech, given in Arizona just before Trump held remarks Friday in both Nevada and Arizona, there was little consensus and unification among insiders about what Kennedy’s plans were.
Trump welcomed Kennedy’s endorsement and said it was “very nice.”
“I think that RFK Jr. clearly sees he does not have a real path in this race and this is a way to be relevant,” Haberman said of his Trump endorsement.