Ahead of a planned speech, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign said in a Pennsylvania court filing Friday that he is endorsing Donald Trump for president. Kennedy’s independent campaign also requested that he be removed from the Pennsylvania ballot, though it was not immediately clear that he was officially dropping out of the race. Kennedy had a speech planned in Arizona on Friday to discuss “the present historical moment and his path forward,” according to his campaign. Hours later, Trump will hold a rally in neighboring Glendale. Trump’s campaign has teased that he will be joined by “a special guest,” though neither campaign responded to messages about whether Kennedy would be that guest. The late-stage development in the presidential race could give the former president a modest boost from Kennedy’s supporters. A year ago, some would have thought it inconceivable that a member of arguably the most storied family in Democratic politics would work with Trump to keep a Democrat — Vice President Kamala Harris — out of the White House. Even in recent months, Kennedy has accused Trump of betraying his followers, while Trump has criticized Kennedy as “the most radical left candidate in the race.” The Pennsylvania filing came Friday in a case in which Kennedy was defending his paperwork to get on the ballot in the battleground state against a challenge by two Democratic activists. The filing said that, “as a result of today’s endorsement of Donald Trump” he was requesting the dismissal of his campaign’s nomination papers so that he would not appear on Pennsylvania’s ballot. The Kennedy and Trump campaigns have ramped up their compliments to each other and engaged in behind-the-scenes discussions in recent weeks, according to those familiar with the efforts. Both campaigns have spent months accusing Democrats of weaponizing the legal system for their own benefit. And both have hinted publicly that they could be open to joining forces, with the shared goal of limiting Harris’ chances. Last month, during the Republican National Convention, Kennedy’s son posted and then quickly deleted a video showing a phone call between Kennedy and Trump, in which the former president appeared to try to talk Kennedy into siding with him. Talks between the two camps continued, with close Trump allies quietly lobbying Kennedy to drop out of the race and support the Republican nominee, according to a person familiar with the efforts who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Trump told CNN on Tuesday that he would “love” an endorsement from Kennedy, whom he called a “brilliant guy.” He also said he would “certainly” be open to Kennedy playing a role in his administration if Kennedy drops out and endorses him. Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, also openly suggested on a podcast this week that his campaign might “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.” While she clarified that she is not personally in talks with Trump, she entertained the idea that Kennedy could join Trump’s administration as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. “I think that Bobby in a role like that would be excellent,” Shanahan said. “I fully support it. I have high hopes.” Earlier Friday, Shanahan posted on X that she isn’t a Kamala Democrat or a Trump Republican. “I’m an INDEPENDENT American who is […]