Independent Presidential Candidate RFK jr. considers opting out in favor of Trump

Son of prolific Democratic politician and attorney general late Robert Francis Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced, last year, his independent campaign to run for President. Kennedy is contemplating opting out of his Presidential candidacy and endorsing his now Republican rival, Donald J. Trump, said his running mate Nicole Shanahan in an interview on Tuesday. Kennedy was initially planning on competing through the Democratic ticket by challenging Biden; but decided to unaffiliate.

The struggling Kennedy- Shanahan campaign 

On the Impact Theory podcast with Tom Bilyeu, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur and attorney, Nicole Shanahan admitted that John Kennedy was vacillating between staying in the 2024 Presidential race or dropping his candidacy to join forces with former President Donald Trump. He was considering whether to retain his Presidential bid despite the copious challenges in their campaign, she admitted.

The independent candidate could stay in the Presidential race and win 4- 5 % of the votes which would facilitate them to form a potent force in the 2028 elections. However, doing so could considerably weaken Trump’s campaign and boost the Democratic Kamala Harris’ voter support. Her statements are a clear indication of her antipathy towards a Harris- Walz government. 

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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…

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 20, 2024

She also expressed her regret for having lent her support to the Democrats previously. Shanahan believes that America would be better led under a Republican candidate like Trump. The Kennedy- Shanahan team are, however, open to ventilate the policies of different candidates and offer their stance on the same. 

She has also been candid about the exigent difficulties in their campaign; their agenda has been suffering due to the lack of adequate funding and securing the electoral ballot in many states. She has also accused the NDC (National Democratic Committee) of “sabotaging” their campaign by shadow- banning and slamming them with legal battles in several states, which has kept them from receiving a “fair shot” in and possibly winning the Presidential race.

Trump welcomes Kennedy’s endorsement

The 78-year former President has been seen oscillating between his two views of Kennedy. While Trump has recently said that Kennedy is “a smart man” and has shown interest in his healthcare policies, he had also asserted that Kennedy is a Democrat in disguise when the latter had freshly announced his decision to run independently. 

A leaked phone call (in July) between the two showed Trump’s eagerness for Kennedy’s endorsement. It is said that the Republican politician would be able to gain his support by offering him a role in the Cabinet. However, Trump’s running mate and Ohio Senator J.D Vance has found it to be “unethical”.

Response from the Democrats

The Democratic Party has remained undeterred in the face of the accusations levied by Shanahan. A spokesperson for the party, Lis Smith mocked her plans to run in the California Governor elections in 2026 (in the event of termination of the Kennedy- Shanahan candidacy). The democrats have reduced them to the status of a “spoiler candidate[s]” for Trump; Shanahan is not “even pretending to be a serious VP candidate anymore” said Smith.