Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Friday that he is suspending his presidential campaign and throwing his support behind former President Donald Trump.

During an event in Phoenix, Arizona, Kennedy urged voters in solidly red or blue states to support him but stated that he would withdraw from the ballot in key battleground states to avoid acting as a “spoiler.”

“I want everyone to know that I am not ending my campaign,” Kennedy said. “I am simply suspending it.”

He explained his reasons for entering the race, leaving the Democratic Party, and now endorsing Trump.

Just before the event, Kennedy’s campaign filed a court document in Pennsylvania officially declaring his support for Trump.

Trump, who was campaigning in Nevada as Kennedy made his announcement, quickly welcomed the endorsement. “We just got a very nice endorsement from RFK Jr., Bobby,” Trump said in Las Vegas. “That’s big. He’s a great guy, respected by everybody.”

The Democratic National Committee reacted to Kennedy’s announcement with a dismissive statement. “The more voters learned about RFK Jr., the less they liked him,” said DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill. “Donald Trump isn’t gaining a meaningful endorsement—he’s inheriting the baggage of a failed fringe candidate.”

Kennedy began his presidential bid in April 2023 as a Democrat challenging President Joe Biden. He later left the Democratic Party to run as an independent, naming Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.