Yesterday, bombshell reporting from the Washington Post uncovered RFK Jr.’s attempt at a sneaky, backroom deal to trade his endorsement of Donald Trump for a future position in Trump’s administration.
Today, new reporting from ABC News provides more details about RFK Jr.’s attempt to spoil the election for Trump in November while benefiting himself personally. According to ABC News, the vaccine conspiracy theorist wanted to secure a deal to exit the race in exchange for overseeing the Department of Health and Human Services as its next secretary in a future Trump administration. ABC News also confirmed that RFK Jr.’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, was aware of the shady backroom deal and supported the decision to undermine her own campaign in support of RFK Jr.’s desire to benefit himself.
“Neither RFK Jr. nor Nicole Shanahan believe a word they say on the campaign trail or into the mics of podcasts hosted by their friends. If they did, they wouldn’t attempt to secure the same kind of shandy, secret deal they claim to despise,” said American Bridge Communications Director of Presidential Campaigns Brandon Weathersby. “It’s clear this dangerous duo of a vaccine skeptic and an anti-IVF billionaire built their campaign to spoil in November, not to win. It’s why their biggest donors are the same as Trump’s and why they would seek out a sweetheart deal with someone who said publicly he wants to govern as a dictator if he returns to the White House. This campaign can no longer be seen as a serious attempt at the presidency. It’s merely a tool to spoil the election for Trump and stroke RFK Jr.’s massive ego.”
Learn more about the new revelations from ABC News:
- Former President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke multiple times in the span of a few days this month, multiple people familiar with the conversations told ABC News, including an in-person meeting in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention where the two presidential candidates discussed ways Kennedy could be involved in a second Trump administration.
- At least one idea floated, according to two people with knowledge of the talks, was for Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who speaks often about the perils of chronic disease, to oversee the Health and Human Services Department under a possible Trump administration.
- According to one source, the in-person meeting, which took place the Monday of the convention, never reached a point where Trump and Kennedy had a deal in place for Kennedy to exit the race and endorse the former president in exchange for a role in the administration. Rather, it was an “informal,” “free flowing” conversation, the source said.
- The two men initially spoke by phone on the evening Trump survived an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally, one source told ABC News, adding that they agreed on that phone call to meet in Milwaukee the next week.
- Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s running mate, told ABC News in a statement that she was aware of Kennedy’s dialogue with Trump this month, and was supportive.
- “I was aware of it and support American Unity and health. We are willing to speak with anyone on unwinding the corporate capture of our agencies,” she said.
Published: Jul 24, 2024