Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has officially dumped the Democrats and relaunched his 2024 presidential run as an independent.
Kennedy announced Monday that he will no longer run in the Democrat primary and will challenge President Joe Biden directly in the general election instead.
RFK Jr. had previously suggested he was planning an independent run but he cemented the switch on Monday morning.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has repeatedly snubbed Kennedy and made it clear that it wasn’t interested in any challengers to President Biden.
“Something is stirring in us, saying it doesn’t have to be this way,” Kennedy said.
Americans are “ready to reclaim their freedom and independence,” he added.
“I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate for President of the United States,” Kennedy continued.
“But that’s not all, I’m here to join you and make a new Declaration of Independence for our entire nation.
“We declare independence from the corporations that have hijacked our government.”
Kennedy also said that he and the crowd assembled declared independence from both political parties as well as the “mercenary media.”
He called for unity in the country and said that politicians getting “all of us to hate each other is all a part of their scam.”
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RFK Jr. has been a thorn in Biden’s side since he announced his presidential bid earlier this year.
He has taken a sizable chunk of Biden’s Democrat supporters.
An independent run from Kennedy could siphon some moderate Democrat votes from Biden as the president has continued to push a radical agenda and unpopular policies.
Additionally, Biden has refused to grant Kennedy’s campaign a Secret Service detail, despite the risk to his safety.
Biden even rejected the request after Kennedy faced down an armed individual pretending to be law enforcement attempting to infiltrate a campaign event.
In July, RFK Jr. said that his request to the Biden administration for Secret Service protection for the 2024 election was denied.
Kennedy’s announcement comes after mounting speculation as to what his Monday announcement would be.
Rumors swirled online the week ahead of Kennedy’s announcement that he would be making a third-party run for the White House.
Kennedy has also seen support from the rich and famous — most notably a concert fundraiser with rock and roll legend Eric Clapton last month.
Clapton raised $2.2 million for Kennedy during the event, according to the campaign.
The haul creates more of a financial runway for the presidential candidate as he continues his bid for the White House.
Video footage of the concert made its rounds online.
The video shows the legendary guitarist shredding in front of a Kennedy 2024 banner.
