The debate stumbles, the assassination attempt and the dramatic withdrawal from the presidential race all had one thing in common: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fell further out of the spotlight in his race for the White House.

Kennedy has argued that his time has not yet come, and President Biden's decision to concede to Vice President Kamala Harris has prompted renewed interest in his independent campaign, but experts say the historic events this month could have the opposite effect, further distancing independent candidates from the spotlight.

Kennedy's most recent attention wasn't about any developments in his own campaign, but when The Washington Post reported that he had met with former President Trump. About supporting his campaign and taking the job Under the second Trump administration.

“It seems like he was just an opportunist,” said Michael A. Genovese, a political scientist at Loyola Marymount University. “It was devastating for him.”

Melissa M. Smith, an expert on independent presidential candidates, said Kennedy's path to making his presence felt has become even more difficult.

“Republicans and Democrats are sucking all the oxygen out of the room right now,” said Smith, author of “Third Parties, Outsiders, Rebels: Modern Challenges to the Two-Party System in Presidential Elections.” “There's so much going on between the major candidates that Kennedy never had a chance to break through.”

In a phone interview from his family's vacation home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, Kennedy downplayed his conversation with Trump and said he was open to talking to Harris or “anyone who wants to protect the health of children.” The topic was part of a 90-minute conversation he said with Trump (though he acknowledged that Harris probably didn't want to talk to him).

The environmental lawyer, who spends much of the year in Los Angeles, said Biden's withdrawal last week “has injected a tremendous amount of energy into our campaign,” adding that “we've seen a surge in volunteers, donations and public engagement.”

The new funds claimed by Kennedy's campaign are not yet listed in Federal Election Commission records. American Values ​​2024, a super PAC supporting Kennedy, raised just $228,000 in June, according to reports filed with the commission. Kennedy's own campaign raised $5.4 million, largely thanks to a $2.5 million contribution from his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, but spent more, $6.2 million.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Kennedy's campaign had $5.6 million in cash at the end of June, a fraction of the $128 million held by the Trump campaign and the $96 million held by the Harris campaign. This was before Biden reportedly endorsed Kennedy for the Democratic nomination and the vice president enjoyed a surge in donations.

Independent candidates, Vanity Fair article The article reported that a weekend nanny in her early 20s who worked for the Kennedy family in the 1990s accused him of sexually assaulting her. Text messages showed that the candidate apologized to the woman after the article was published, but Kennedy told reporters he had no recollection of the alleged assault.

Independents and third-party candidates traditionally have a harder time attracting the attention of major-party candidates. The only exception was in June 1992, when businessman Ross Perot briefly led over President George H. W. Bush and Democratic challenger Bill Clinton. Perot lost steam and Clinton won.

Mr. Perot's support was strong enough that the Commission on Presidential Debates included him in all three debates in the fall of 1992. Mr. Kennedy's exclusion from last month's debate is emblematic of the challenge he faces.

More than 51 million Americans watched the contest on television, but Biden's incoherent and unclear rhetoric fueled calls for him to drop out of the race. Kennedy responded by simulcasting his own answers to the debate questions. The YouTube show has garnered fewer than 800,000 views.

“There's a limited amount of news space, and unless Harris does something completely outlandish and unheard of, it's unlikely to make the news,” said Smith, the communications professor at Mississippi Women's University. “She's unfortunately found herself in a race that's unprecedented and in the spotlight. It's really hard to surpass Trump in terms of attention.”

Genovese said Kennedy faces an additional hurdle: At 70, he offers a slightly younger option to Americans frustrated at having to choose between the two oldest candidates in history, Biden, 81, and Trump, 78. At 59, Harris is now a much younger choice.

“When you had two of the most unpopular candidates in history, or even when that looked likely, I think a third-party candidate would have been worthy of consideration,” Genovese said, “but with Harris entering the race, age is no longer an issue. I think a lot of Democrats will support Harris.”

Kennedy argued that frustration with both parties is building up and will help him in the long run. Last week, he unveiled a “Strong America” ​​initiative, designed to draw on the kind of bipartisan unity shown in the face of natural disasters.

“What we haven't been able to get is a united government,” Kennedy said, “headed by an independent president, tied to no party, free from corporate influence, not beholden to the Washington establishment, and ready to bring together the best ideas from both parties and from all those who have been left behind.”

Kennedy has been a critic of both parties, but more recently he has directed his ire at the Democratic Party, the party of his father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, President Kennedy.

He rebuked Harris, saying, “She has played a leading role in assuring the public that President Biden does not have a cognitive impairment, and I think people now realize that that was not true.”

“I think Americans want to trust their leader,” he added. “At the very least, she appears to be putting her own political ambitions above the national interest.”

Kennedy is a vigorous campaigner who has enthusiastic support from some Americans but whose approval ratings remain in the single digits in most national polls. He is seen as a maverick candidate because mainstream scientific and medical communities reject his claims that vaccines are generally harmful and can cause autism.

He slammed both President Trump and Democrats for the “500-day lockdown” that followed the spread of COVID-19 in 2020. He said the closure of churches and gatherings and the tracking of health data were part of the “biggest assault on the Constitution in American history.”

Kennedy dropped out of the Democratic nomination race in October and announced he would run as an independent.

After Biden left the room, Kennedy blasted the president for rushing to “appoint” Harris, arguing that the Democratic nominee should be chosen based on a series of “zero-margin polls” that gauge which candidate is most likely to beat Trump.

“And by the way, if they did that, I would win,” Kennedy said, noting that polls taken for his campaign showed him beating Republicans.

A New York Times/Siena poll released Thursday found Harris and Trump nearly neck and neck nationally, with the Republican candidate leading by 1 percentage point among likely voters. When Kennedy and other independents and third-party candidates are included, Harris leads Trump by 1 percentage point, with Kennedy a distant third at 5 percentage points.

Kennedy's criticism of the Democratic Party drew anger and scorn from within his party, including from members of one of America's great political families.

Following news of Kennedy's recent meeting with Trump, the Democratic National Committee released a scathing statement.

“RFK Jr.'s involvement in the backroom political dealings he claims to abhor shows he knows he won't get into the White House running as an obstructionist,” said Matt Corridoni, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee.