Earlier this month, independent presidential hopeful and notorious vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke with his rival Donald Trump about possibly endorsing the former Republican president—and even taking a job working in public health in a new Trump Administration.
As first reported by The Washington Post, the talks between Kennedy and Trump began only hours after the failed attempt to assassinate Trump played out at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on July 13, according to the newspaper, which cited “four people familiar with the matter.”
One call between the two men appears to have been captured on video, which made the rounds online soon after it was recorded last week.
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In the clip, which was shared on social media by Kennedy’s son, Trump can be heard repeating unfounded vaccine claims and telling Kennedy he would “love” for him “to do stuff,” apparently a reference to potentially working in the White House together.
The talks included a conversation concerning positions Kennedy could hold in a new Trump Administration—potentially in the Cabinet and other jobs for which the Senate does not need to confirm appointees—as well as a scenario where Kennedy drops out of the race and backs Trump, the four people told the Post.
According to the newspaper, no agreement came from the discussions between the two men, as those around Trump voiced concern over offering a job in the administration in exchange for an endorsement, the sources said.
Some advisors also raised issue over whether Kennedy would be the right pick for a job, given his anti-vaccine viewpoints, the people who spoke with the Post said.
Kennedy seemingly confirmed the conversations to the newspaper on Monday, saying: “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.”
He noted Trump has been more receptive to him than the Democratic Party.
“I have a lot of respect for President Trump for reaching out to me,” Kennedy said. “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.”
Notably, Kennedy said he plans to continue seeking the presidency, adding, “We’re in it to win it.”
Kennedy and Trump first spoke by phone the night Trump was injured at the shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the pair agreed to meet in person last week in Milwaukee as the Republican National Convention was kicking off, according to the Post.
As rumors swirled about the fate of his campaign after the meeting last week, Kennedy clarified in a post on X that “national unity” was the “main topic” of their discussion.
“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 spokeswoman, said.
