RFK Jr.'s running mate says campaign weighing whether to drop out, 'join forces' with Trump

WASHINGTON – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign is considering ending its independent bid for the White House to back former President Donald Trump, Kennedy’s running mate Nicole Shanahan said in an interview published Tuesday.

Shanahan told the business podcast Impact Theory that the Kennedy campaign is weighing whether to stay in the 2024 presidential race if it means that their independent campaign could cost Trump the election.

“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 Walz presidency... or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.”

Polls have shown that Kennedy’s campaign is pulling more support from voters who otherwise would back Trump, rather than would-be Harris voters. Still, a Pew Research analysis found that Harris’ recent bump in support has come in part from people who previously leaned toward Kennedy’s campaign.

“Is the risk of a Kamala Harris presidency worth us staying in and that's the question we have to ask ourselves right now,” Shanahan questioned in the interview.

The 38-year-old attorney also suggested that Kennedy could find a place in the Trump administration as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if he dropped his presidential bid.

“I could envision a situation in which Bobby goes and he does an incredible job with, you know, for example, HHS, Human Health Services,” Shanahan said. “I think that Bobby in a role like that would be excellent.

Kennedy has seen widespread backlash for spreading medical misinformation, including facing limitations on social media platforms.

As for her own political future, Shanahan alluded to a potential 2026 campaign for governor in California.

“I don't know yet. I think that I'd be happy to support somebody great to run for California governor,” Shanahan said, adding that she “would consider running as well.”

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, published shortly after the interview, Kennedy said he was “willing to talk with leaders of any political party” to further the goals of his campaign.

A Real Clear Politics average of national polls shows Kennedy garnering roughly 12% of the vote. But the environmental lawyer’s campaign is quickly running out of money.  Recent filings with the Federal Election Commission showed only a small gap between the amount the campaign owed and how much it raised. At the end of last month, Kennedy’s operation had $3.9 million and owed close to $3.5 million.

Lis Smith, a communications adviser for the Democratic National Committee, responded to Shanahan’s comments saying that independent wasn’t “even pretending to be a serious VP candidate anymore.”

“From the beginning of this race, we’ve said that RFK Jr. is nothing more than a spoiler for Donald Trump, and we’re glad that his running mate is finally admitting it,” Smith said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr.'s campaign weighing whether 'join forces' with Trump