section_path: Political aspirations/2024 presidential campaign
section_name: 2024 presidential campaign
paragraph_text: 2024 presidential campaign
  
  In a speech in New Hampshire on March 3, 2023, Kennedy said he was considering a run for president in 2024: "I am thinking about it. I've passed the biggest hurdle, which is that my wife has greenlighted it."
  
  Kennedy filed his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 5, 2023. He formally declared his candidacy at a campaign launch event at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston on April 19. On October 9, he became an independent candidate in the election. He is the fifth member of his family to seek the presidency.
  
  Listing many false conspiracy theories that Kennedy used during campaign appearances, PolitiFact named his presidential campaign its 2023 "lie of the year".
  
  In May 2024, Kennedy was considered for the Libertarian Party's nomination for president, but lost to Chase Oliver. In Colorado, the state Libertarian Party selected Kennedy, but Oliver appeared on the ballot as the Libertarian nominee.
  
  Kennedy's campaign was noted for receiving significant support from Republican donors and Trump allies who believed he would serve as a " spoiler ", taking the votes of those who would have otherwise voted for the Democratic nominee. In August 2023, it was revealed that Timothy Mellon, who gave $15 million to Donald Trump 's super PAC MAGA Inc., also donated $5 million to Kennedy's super PAC, making him Kennedy's largest single donor. Mellon donated another $5 million to Kennedy's super PAC in April and another $50 million to MAGA Inc. in May. In July 2024, Forbes reported that Mellon had donated $25 million to Kennedy and Kennedy-affiliated groups.
  
  In August, facing declining poll numbers, limited campaign funds, and increasing challenges to ballot access, the Kennedy campaign began appealing to the Harris and Trump campaigns, seeking a cabinet post in exchange for an endorsement. Harris reportedly rebuffed Kennedy, but Trump said he "probably would, if something like that would happen". On August 22, the Kennedy campaign filed to be removed from the Arizona ballot amid reports he would drop out to endorse Trump.
  
  On August 23, Kennedy dropped out and endorsed Trump, saying he intended to maintain ballot placement in certain non- swing states. This was a reversal for Kennedy, who had previously said he would "under no circumstances" join Trump on a presidential ticket, that his and Trump's positions "could not be further apart", and that Trump was a "terrible human being", a "discredit to democracy", and "probably a sociopath ". In his speech endorsing Trump, Kennedy described speaking with Trump and his advisers and said he discovered that he and Trump were "aligned on many key issues".
  
  In December, Kennedy was featured in the award-winning documentary film Inactive, Americaʼs Silent Killer about the growing global epidemic of physical inactivity and its impact on health particularly in North America.
  
  In a speech in New Hampshire on March 3, 2023, Kennedy said he was considering a run for president in 2024: "I am thinking about it. I've passed the biggest hurdle, which is that my wife has greenlighted it."
  
  Kennedy filed his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 5, 2023. He formally declared his candidacy at a campaign launch event at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston on April 19. On October 9, he became an independent candidate in the election. He is the fifth member of his family to seek the presidency.
  
  Listing many false conspiracy theories that Kennedy used during campaign appearances, PolitiFact named his presidential campaign its 2023 "lie of the year".
  
  In May 2024, Kennedy was considered for the Libertarian Party's nomination for president, but lost to Chase Oliver. In Colorado, the state Libertarian Party selected Kennedy, but Oliver appeared on the ballot as the Libertarian nominee.
  
  Kennedy's campaign was noted for receiving significant support from Republican donors and Trump allies who believed he would serve as a " spoiler ", taking the votes of those who would have otherwise voted for the Democratic nominee. In August 2023, it was revealed that Timothy Mellon, who gave $15 million to Donald Trump 's super PAC MAGA Inc., also donated $5 million to Kennedy's super PAC, making him Kennedy's largest single donor. Mellon donated another $5 million to Kennedy's super PAC in April and another $50 million to MAGA Inc. in May. In July 2024, Forbes reported that Mellon had donated $25 million to Kennedy and Kennedy-affiliated groups.
  
  In August, facing declining poll numbers, limited campaign funds, and increasing challenges to ballot access, the Kennedy campaign began appealing to the Harris and Trump campaigns, seeking a cabinet post in exchange for an endorsement. Harris reportedly rebuffed Kennedy, but Trump said he "probably would, if something like that would happen". On August 22, the Kennedy campaign filed to be removed from the Arizona ballot amid reports he would drop out to endorse Trump.
  
  On August 23, Kennedy dropped out and endorsed Trump, saying he intended to maintain ballot placement in certain non- swing states. This was a reversal for Kennedy, who had previously said he would "under no circumstances" join Trump on a presidential ticket, that his and Trump's positions "could not be further apart", and that Trump was a "terrible human being", a "discredit to democracy", and "probably a sociopath ". In his speech endorsing Trump, Kennedy described speaking with Trump and his advisers and said he discovered that he and Trump were "aligned on many key issues".
  
  In December, Kennedy was featured in the award-winning documentary film Inactive, Americaʼs Silent Killer about the growing global epidemic of physical inactivity and its impact on health particularly in North America.