Donald Trump said he'd "be open" to offering Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a role in his administration if the independent presidential candidate were to drop out of the 2024 White House race and endorse him, during an interview with CNN on Tuesday.
The former president was speaking after Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy's running mate, suggested the pair could "walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump" in a bid to prevent Vice President Kamala Harris from becoming president.
Kennedy initially stood for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, before switching and announcing he was running as an independent. The environmental campaigner's race has been rocked with controversy, including historic accusations of sexual assault, which Kennedy strongly denies, and his confession that he once dumped a dead bear cub in New York's Central Park.
Speaking during an episode of YouTuber Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory, which was released on Tuesday, Shanahan said: "There's two options that we're looking at and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Tim] Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump, or we draw somehow more votes from Trump."
Shanahan added that she and Kennedy could "walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump," adding: "I would say that I trust the future of this country more under the leadership of Trump...and the [Senator] J.D. Vance" than Harris.
Trump was asked whether he would consider Kennedy "for a role in your administration" in the context of Shanahan's remarks during an interview on Tuesday with CNN's Kristen Holmes. Referring to Kennedy, Trump said: "I like him a lot, I respect him a lot. I probably would if something like that would happen. He's a very different kind of a guy, a very smart guy, and I would be honored by that endorsement certainly."
He later added: "I didn't know about RFK but I like him and I respect him, you were saying 'would I think about him for something?' and the answer is yes, he's a brilliant guy, he's a very smart guy, I've known him for a long time. I didn't know he was thinking about getting out but if he is thinking about getting out certainly I would be open to it."
Newsweek contacted the presidential campaigns of Trump, Kennedy and Harris for comment on Wednesday by email outside of regular office hours.
In a post on X, Kennedy indicated he was ready to hold conversations with Trump, or any other party leader, about the possibility of cooperation.
He said: "As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.
"These are: reversing the chronic disease epidemic, ending the war machine, cleaning corporate influence out of government and toxic pollution out of the environment, protecting freedom of speech, and ending politicization of enforcement agencies."
In recent years, Kennedy has attracted attention with controversial remarks questioning the safety or effectiveness of certain vaccines, a position which won him plaudits from a section of Trump's MAGA base during the pandemic.
A recent poll conducted by Siena College for The New York Times found a plurality of Kennedy supporters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin would vote for Trump if their preferred candidate exited the race.
Of those surveyed over who they would back if Kennedy dropped out, 41 percent of his voters said Trump, against 27 percent for Harris, with 33 percent unsure.
Separate polling in the battleground states of North Carolina, Michigan and Nevada also found Kennedy pulling out of the presidential race would primarily benefit Trump.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more