Manifest Desperation: Trump, RFK, JR. and The Kiss of Death.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an independent presidential candidate, suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump. What is telling and frankly surprising is that Trump accepted the endorsement. This act of manifest desperation may prove to be the kiss of death for the former president. Here's why: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of political icon Bobby Kennedy, is a well-known conspiracy theorist whose ideas have been seen by many as straight out of Q Anon.

Knowing that his campaign was dead in the water, Mr. Kennedy contacted the Harris-Walz campaign to set up a meeting about his offer to endorse the Kamala-Walz ticket in return for a position in their administration. Kennedy said there was no meeting, and he never received a response. Wonder why?

In any event, the Trump campaign contacted Kennedy. Kennedy talked with Trump and met him in Florida, presumably at Mar-a-Lago. Following the meeting, Mr. Kennedy suspended his campaign, endorsed Trump, and appeared with him at a rally. At the rally, Trump promised to appoint Mr. Kennedy to two commissions if elected. While not technically illegal, this quid pro quo arrangement speaks volumes about how unhinged Trump has become since President Biden stepped down. For those who have not realized yet, Trump is now facing Vice President Kamala Harris instead of President Joe Biden, which is his worst fear. However, it's a problem of his own making. Instead of capitalizing on his opponent's weakness, Trump was busy trying to make Biden look incompetent, which backfired. A brighter strategist would have exploited his opponent's weakness rather than mercilessly hammering him for it. 

Now, Trump has embraced Kennedy, a Democrat who has turned independent and now supports the Republican candidate and has joined forces with the Republicans. At the time that Kennedy left the Democratic Party Trump campaign spokesman Steve Cheung, said “Voters should not be deceived by anyone who pretends to have conservative values. The fact is that RFK has a disturbing background steeped in radical, liberal positions." Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ends Democratic presidential bid, launches independent campaign (nbcnews.com).          

For the record, Kennedy once referred to Trump as a "terrible human being, the worst president ever and barely human." Of course, most politicians who enthusiastically supported Trump first fiercely criticized him. Despite these facts, Trump has accepted Kennedy's endorsement. Trump is desperate. Time will tell, but in my view, this endorsement may prove to be the kiss of death to the foundering Trump campaign. It demonstrates his willingness to ally with anyone who will kiss the ring, and that Trump is no longer playing with a full deck. His actions and speeches of late have been like someone frantically arranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship. He apparently believes that despite all indications to the contrary, the ship is still seaworthy. It is now clear that Trump is desperate and out of control.

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Dr. Johnnie Cordero holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a Doctorate in Jurisprudence. He is the author of The Power We Possess: Understanding the Power of Your Vote and the Need for the Political Evolution of the Black Electorate; Total Black Empowerment: A Guide to Critical Thinking in the Age of Trump; Theodicy and The Power of the African Will all are now available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers0. You can follow him on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter