Robert F Kennedy Jr. has decided that he can leverage his endorsement. He doesn’t care which candidate accepts his offer as long as someone gives him a position in November somewhere.
In July, the independent candidate contacted Team Trump to ask for a senior role in his administration in exchange for dropping out of the race and endorsing him.
The talk started when Tucker Carlson sent a group text that included RFK Jr. and Donald Trump. They had a phone call that night, which was the day of Trump’s failed assassination attempt. They talked again the week of the Republican National Convention.
At the convention, Kennedy reportedly talked with Trump and his team about supporting Trump if he could get a role in a future administration. However, the discussions didn’t lead to concrete plans because Trump’s team was worried about the complications of offering Kennedy a job in return for his endorsement.
Trump briefly considered choosing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his vice president because he liked the idea of a “Trump-Kennedy” ticket. However, his advisors opposed the idea.
The recent discussions between Kennedy and Trump are surprising because they’ve been critical of each other on the campaign trail. Kennedy recently criticized Trump for bringing corporate leaders into his previous administration, while Trump has often called Kennedy “too far-left.”
Soon after RFK Jr. tried to join Trump, The New Yorker revealed a text conversation where he had called Trump a possible sociopath, a “terrible person,” and the “worst president ever.”
Trump’s spokesperson, Danielle Alvarez, said that Trump often talks with influential people like RFK because he believes he will be the next president.
However, Trump’s advisors decided that someone who criticizes vaccines shouldn’t handle health and medical issues. A phone call between Kennedy and Trump got leaked last week, showing that Trump agreed with Kennedy about worries that kids might be harmed by current vaccine schedules, saying the doses might be too big.
RFK Jr. later apologized for the leak.
Trump considered choosing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his vice president because he liked how the “Trump-Kennedy” name sounded together. However, his advisors opposed the idea.
RFK Jr. was undeterred. He immediately took his offer to Kamala Harris.
According to The Washington Post and CNN, RFK Jr. tried to join the Harris administration last week based on information from both campaigns. However, his request was quickly rejected. Harris’s campaign has yet to respond to his request for a meeting.
Harris’s spokesperson, Matt Corridoni, said on Wednesday that they have no plans to negotiate with someone backed by MAGA supporters and trying to get a job with Trump in return for an endorsement.
In an interview with NBC New York, RFK Jr. mentioned he might consider leaving the race if one of his competitors agreed to focus on some of his key issues, like ending war and addressing childhood diseases.
Earlier in the election cycle, RFK Jr. was seen as a potential “spoiler” who might take votes away from Democratic and Republican candidates. However, his campaign hasn’t done well in polls. He’s been hurt by old, embarrassing stories, like rumors about brain worms, barbecued dogs, and even leaving a dead bear cub in Central Park. Many in his famous family have turned against him, and he’s also faced a sexual assault accusation, which he said he couldn’t remember in a text apology.
This week, he was removed from the ballot in New York because of a claim that he didn’t live there. That decision ruined his chances of being on the ballot in all 50 states. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he had appealed the decision and was determined to win the case.
He says that the only requirement for being considered a resident of New York is the intention to return to the state. He said no law requires him to “spend even one night there.”
Even after the talks with Trump and Harris, Kennedy told the Washington Post he plans to keep running for office. “We’re in it to win it.”