(The Hill) – Former President Donald Trump lavished praise on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. early Thursday as the independent presidential candidate weighs dropping out of the race and throwing his support behind Trump.
“I’ve known him for a long time. He’s, as you know, he’s a little different kind of a guy. Very smart guy. Very good person,” Trump said of Kennedy Jr. during a phone call with “Fox & Friends.”
“If he endorsed me. I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it,” Trump continued. “He really has his heart in the right place. He is a respected person. Women love some of his policies, and I guess some people don’t like some of his policies.”
Kennedy Jr.’s campaign announced that the third-party candidate will make an announcement Friday in Arizona, the same day Trump will be in the Grand Canyon State for a speech.
Multiple sources close to both the Kennedy and Trump campaigns have said signals are pointing toward the independent candidate announcing he is ending his candidacy and endorsing Trump, but they cautioned that nothing is finalized.
Trump earlier this week said he would be open to giving Kennedy Jr. a role in a future administration. The two spoke on the phone during the Republican National Convention, where a possible endorsement reportedly came up.
Kennedy, 70, has struggled to maintain traction in the race. Although his polling has peaked in the double digits, he has dropped to the low single digits in the race that is now between Trump and Vice President Harris, the Democratic nominee.