Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Friday that he is suspending his campaign and supporting former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

The announcement by the environmental lawyer and anti-vaccination activist, who is sticking to her hopeless presidential bid, comes just one day after Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

“I am campaigning from a sense of victory, not defeat,” Kennedy said during a lengthy press conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

“Not only have we accomplished the impossible by collecting a million signatures, but we have also changed the national political debate forever,” he said, adding: “I can only thank everyone who has worked so hard over the last year and a half for a job well done.”

Kennedy acknowledged that he “cannot in good conscience ask my staff and volunteers to continue working so many overtime hours or ask my donors to keep giving if I cannot honestly tell them that I have a real shot at the White House.”

He made it clear that he would not end his campaign and that his name “will remain on the ballot in most states.”

The third-party candidate said he would remove his name from the ballot in about ten swing states “where my presence would be a disruptive factor.” He did not specify which states.

He said voters living in a Democratic state could vote for him “without harming or helping (former) President Trump or Vice President Harris.”

In response, Trump thanked Kennedy during a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“It was very nice,” the former president said, adding that Kennedy was a “great guy” and “respected by everyone.”

Kennedy sparked speculation in the days leading up to Friday’s announcement that he would withdraw his candidacy and endorse Trump. On Thursday, he filed paperwork to withdraw his name from Arizona’s ballot, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a post on X.

Kennedy struggled with declining poll numbers and financial problems for his campaign while taking on the mammoth task of getting on state ballots as an independent candidate. He initially ran as a Democrat but switched to an independent in October 2023.

Kennedy – son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of John F. Kennedy – is part of one of the most famous families in Democratic politics. Throughout his campaign, he spread anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and was seen as a possible spoiler candidate.

Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, said in a statement Friday in response to Kennedy’s suspension of his campaign: “To all the Americans out there who are fed up with Donald Trump and are looking for a new way forward: our campaign is here for you.”

“To deliver for working people and those who feel left behind, we need a leader who will fight for you, not just for himself, and who will bring us together, not tear us apart. Vice President Harris wants to earn your support.”

Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to give a speech in Glendale, Arizona, later on Friday. His campaign team said Thursday that a “special guest” would accompany him to the rally.