Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will no longer have Secret Service protection after pausing his 2024 presidential campaign, but he has vowed to continue running in all but 10 states in November.
Some are furious and took to social media to claim the move is meant to put him at greater risk following his brutal assessment of the modern Democratic Party in his speech suspending his campaign.
But RFK Jr. insists his speech was not “revenge” against his former party.
The Democrat-turned-independent is still running in 40 of the 50 states, but he will no longer be promoting the Secret Service security team that President Joe Biden ordered to provide protection for the candidate last month.
The directive for the USSS to protect Kennedy originally came after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will no longer receive Secret Service protection after suspending his campaign in 10 states
When presidential candidates drop out, the usual procedure is to pull out their security detail. But RFK Jr. is technically still in the race and has not ended his campaign for the White House, even though he no longer has a path to victory.
The Secret Service has come under increased public and congressional scrutiny following a series of events following security lapses that led to the attempted assassination of the former president last month.
Former director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her position following the assassination attempt on Trump.
Those covered by the USSS include the President and Vice President and their immediate families, former Presidents, First Ladies and their children up to the age of 16, visiting heads of state and major presidential candidates.
Kennedy pushed for months for protection, saying he had faced several security threats and threats against him and his campaign. He suggested the delay was political.
On Friday, Kennedy announced he was suspending his campaign in 10 key states, but clarified that he was “not ending it” and would remain on the ballot in the remaining 40 states.
Kennedy endorsed Trump and announced a “party of unity” in which they would work toward shared values, such as the autonomy to make health-related decisions, such as receiving vaccines.
RFK Jr. appeared at Donald Trump’s Arizona rally on Friday after announcing he was not “ending” but “suspending” his campaign in 10 of the most competitive states.
RFK Jr. is expected to join Trump on the campaign trail in less competitive states in the future.
Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream asked if the presidential candidate was “motivated” to back Trump by “punishing Democrats.”
“In nothing in my life do I act out of anger, revenge or resentment,” he responded in the interview on Sunday morning.
“It’s a bad motivation,” he continued. “It’s like swallowing poison and hoping someone else dies, so I don’t do it.”