President Donald Trump has vowed to declassify thousands of documents related to the John F. Kennedy assassination after his presidential campaign received support from JFK’s nephew.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also known as RFK Jr., was a rival in the race for the White House.
But on Friday he took a break from campaigning to join Trump on stage at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, where he was greeted by cheers and fireworks, showing his support.
The Kennedy family harshly criticized their brother’s support as a “betrayal” of their values.
Meanwhile, Trump praised his “exceptional campaign,” but also noted that “we were on a little bit of the other side of the equation.” The elder Kennedy said Trump would be offered a job if he returned to the White House. But no details were given at the rally.
Instead, Trump promised that if elected, he would establish a “new independent presidential commission on assassination attempts” to investigate the July 13 assassination attempt on his life in Pennsylvania.
He added that the commission should also declassify remaining documents related to the 1963 assassination of Kennedy’s uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
More than 60 years later, some 4,700 files related to the case remain partially or heavily redacted.
Kennedy is also the son of Senator Bobby Kennedy, who was assassinated while campaigning for the White House in 1968.
In their joint speech, Trump also promised to establish a commission to study chronic health problems and childhood diseases, such as autism, autoimmune disorders, and obesity.
These were some of the key campaign themes for Kennedy, who took to the stage to explain why he supports Trump.
Kennedy explained that freedom of expression, the war in Ukraine, agriculture and foreign policy were common themes.
He spoke about fighting censorship, but also about corruption in US companies, especially among regulators.
Meanwhile, President Trump continued to praise him, calling him “great” and adding, “I get that because he’s attacked me a few times too… I didn’t like it.” I think he’ll have a big impact on this race.”
But Kennedy has said he could simply remove his name from the ballot in battleground states, allowing his supporters to continue supporting him in areas where the outcome is expected.
He claimed his internal polling showed his entry into the race would hurt Trump and help Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
But recent polls have not shown a clear indication that he will have much influence, and he supports one of the major party candidates.