Washington — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who last week suspended his third-party presidential candidacy and approved Former President Donald Trump lost Secret Service protection following his decision to drop out of the race, his campaign team said.
“Mr. Kennedy no longer has the USSS,” Stefanie Spear, Kennedy’s press secretary, told CBS News.
In remarks in Phoenix on Friday, Kennedy said he was supporting Trump because he saw no viable path to the White House. And while he said he would not “end” his campaign — he would remain on the ballot in some uncontested states — he promised to remove his name from states where he could be a spoilsport. Kennedy was on the ballot in more than 20 states when he gave up his candidacy for the White House.
President Biden pointed the Secret Service to provide protection to Kennedy after the assassination attempt on Trump in July. Kennedy’s campaign team had long asked for protection for the independent presidential candidate – an issue that was particularly acute for Kennedy because his father and uncle had been assassinated in the 1960s.
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The Secret Service is required by law to protect major presidential candidates and their spouses within 120 days of a general election. Other candidates may be designated for protection as needed.
