‘I’d love that endorsement,’ the former president remarked Tuesday.
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening suggested he is open to giving independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a position in his administration in return for an endorsement in the 2024 race.
Earlier this week, Kennedy’s running mate Nicole Shanahan told a podcast that the campaign faces a number of hurdles and presented two options: one is that they might drop out of the race and “join forces” with Trump and the other is creating their own political party.
When asked by CNN about Shanahan’s comments Tuesday, Trump said that “I’d love that endorsement,” referring to Kennedy.
“You’re asking me a very unusual question. I haven’t been asked that question yet,” the former president said, smiling when asked further questions. “I like him. 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, yeah, I would be honored by that endorsement, certainly.”
The reporter then asked whether there would be a Republican backlash against Trump if he appointed Kennedy to a position in his administration. He downplayed those comments, saying, “I like smart people, and Republicans like me.”
Kennedy, the son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, is “a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy,” Trump added. “I’ve known him for a very long time. I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it.”
In an appearance on Tom Bilyeu’s Impact Theory podcast that was published Tuesday, Shanahan made allusions to backing Trump.
“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 more votes from Trump,” she said. “Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump and explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”
