"I have a lot of respect for President Trump": RFK Jr. dangled endorsement for White House job

The Trump campaign ultimately decided against hiring the independent presidential candidate

By Marin Scotten

News Fellow

Published July 23, 2024 11:34AM (EDT)

Presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Nixon Library on June 12, 2024 in Yorba Linda, California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Nixon Library on June 12, 2024 in Yorba Linda, California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke with Donald Trump’s campaign about endorsing the former president and taking a job overseeing health and medical issues in his administration, The Washington Post reported

Shortly after the attempted assassination of Trump on July 13, Kennedy was contacted by a person who knows the former president to set up a phone call between the two men. They spoke later that night and agreed to meet in person at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, The Post reported.

“All I will say to you is I am willing to talk to anybody from either political party who wants to talk about children’s health and how to end the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said in an interview on Monday.

Kennedy and Trump also met in Milwaukee to discuss possible jobs Kennedy could take within a second Trump administration, as well as the possibility of Kennedy exiting the presidential race to endorse Trump. 

The conversations did not result in an agreement as there was concern from Trump’s side about the optics of promising Kennedy a job in exchange for an endorsement, sources told The Post.

“President Trump met with RFK and they had a conversation about the issues just as he does regularly with important figures in business and politics because they all recognize he will be the next president of the United States,” Danielle Alvarez, a Trump spokesperson, told The Post. 

Polls show Kennedy taking votes from both candidates at more or less the same rate. Despite his deliberations with Trump, Kennedy plans to continue his campaign.

“I have a lot of respect for President Trump for reaching out to me," Kennedy told the Post. "Nobody from the DNC, high or low, has ever reached out to me in 18 months. Instead, they have allocated millions to try to disrupt my campaign."


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