UPDATE: RFK Jr. says he is suspending his campaign, not ending it

PHOENIX, Az. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced he is suspending his 2024 campaign for president, but not ending it, according to the Associated Press. Kennedy said he will seek to remove his name from the battleground states since he believes his existence in the race would help Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Previously, the RFK Jr. campaign said that he's endorsing Donald Trump for president in a Pennsylvania court filing Aug. 23. However, a spokesperson for Kennedy said the court filing was made in error.

Spokesperson Stefanie Spear said "Mr. Kennedy has not endorsed President Trump," and that "The filing was made by an attorney and not reviewed by the campaign." She also said the filing would be updated.

Previously, the campaign asked that he be removed from the Pennsylvania ballot, but it wasn't clear that he was officially dropping out of the race. This came a day after he requested to be removed from Arizona's ballot. 

Kennedy is scheduled to speak in Arizona Aug. 23 "about the present historical moment and his path forward," according to his campaign. Hours after, Trump is hosting a rally in nearby Glendale. Trump's campaign has suggested that he'll be joined by "a special guest," but neither campaign has elaborated further.

Previously, the independent candidate was speculated to suspend his 2024 campaign and endorse former President Donald Trump, according to sources that spoke with NBC, who are familiar with the ongoing discussions. Kennedy's scheduled speech Friday in Phoenix, hours before Trump hosts an event in neighboring Glendale, furthered speculation about a possible joint appearance.

Some of the assumption came after Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, hinted in a podcast interview this week that the campaign was considering "joining forces" with Trump to prevent a Kamala Harris presidency. According to NBC News, Trump's running mate, Senator JD Vance, also confirmed that "there's been a lot of communication back and forth" between the two campaigns, though he denied that a Cabinet position for Kennedy was part of the discussions.

As reported by the Associated Press, Kennedy’s campaign has struggled with legal challenges. According to NBC, he was recently disqualified from the New York ballot, after a judge ruled that his home address used on his signature petitions was not his place of residency.

According to NBC, financial troubles have also impacted the campaign, which closed July with nearly $3.5 million in debt, according to the most recent campaign finance report.