RFK Jr considers dropping out to help Trump, running mate says

[Celerity]

Nicole Shanahan says she and independent 2024 candidate could ‘walk away and join forces with Donald Trump’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/20/rfk-jr-dropping-out-help-trump-election



Robert F Kennedy Jr is considering abandoning his campaign as an insurgent independent presidential candidate in order to help the election of Donald Trump, his running mate has said. The startling disclosure was made by Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s vice-presidential candidate, who said the pair were considering dropping their campaign over fears it might help elect Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, as president. Shanahan’s remarks, made on the Impact Theory With Tim Bilyeau podcast, were close to an all-out admission that Kennedy’s campaign had more in common with Trump than Harris. Kennedy was a member of the Democratic party and attempted to run as its nominee before choosing to stand as an independent.

“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 [Tim] Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump,” said Shanahan, a wealthy Silicon Valley attorney, reportedly worth $1bn as a result of her former marriage to Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google. “[Or] we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump … and we explain to our base why we’re making this decision.” Shanahan said the conundrum was “not an easy decision” but added that her sympathies lay more with Trump and his wealthy backers than with Harris’s campaign, which has its own moneyed supporters.

“If we are splitting hairs, I would say that I trust the future of this county more under the leadership of Trump and the [Peter] Thiels [the founder of PayPal and a leading Trump backer] and the JD Vances [the Republican vice-presidential nominee] than I do right now under Harris and the Reid Hoffmans [a Democratic-supporting mega-donor],” she said. Not long after Shanahan’s comments were made public, Trump told CNN’s Kristen Holmes in Michigan he would “certainly” be open to giving Kennedy a role in a future Trump administration. “I like him, and I respect him,” Trump said. “He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him for a very long time. I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it.”

Shanahan’s comments followed recent polls indicating that Kennedy – who has traded in anti-vaccination conspiracy theories that tend to have greater currency on the right than among Democratic-leaning voters – was drawing more support from Trump than from Harris. Kennedy’s potential to act as a spoiler has long been a source of political guesswork. Commentators have expressed uncertainty whether the Democrats or Republicans stand to lose more from his candidacy. Kennedy is currently running at about 5% in many surveys. The revelation that he is considering standing aside comes after he met Trump at last month’s Republican national convention in Milwaukee. At that time, Trump reportedly sought his endorsement, and the two discussed the possibility of Kennedy being given a job in a future Trump administration.

snip

[randr]

1. I smell some quid pro quo

[Oopsie Daisy]

2. And it stinks.

[Midnight Writer]

4. With Trump, there may be a quid, but he will never see the quo.

Trump will promise anything to get what he wants, but he will never feel obligated to keep his promise.

[VMA131Marine]

3. RFK Jr's dad and uncles

Would be so disappointed in him. Clearly he has issues.

[Oopsie Daisy]

12. I'm sure Ethel is horrified and embarrassed.

[VMA131Marine]

14. I'm sure she is.

I didn’t realise she was still alive.

[electric_blue68]

17. I thought she might be bc I think I would have remembered her death since I was a big Sen RFK...

supporter.
There would have been a fair amount of press, i think.

[WarGamer]

5. predictable...

[Tickle]

6. hmmm this is interesting

do we assume his 5% is all trump supporters? I don't think we need to worry much

[Torvalds5a]

8. I suspect most of his 5%

would go to Trump.

[epreic01]

7. Don't care

He belongs there. He’s Fn weird too. Good riddance. They need another loser over there like RFK needs another worm snacking on his brain.

[Johnny2X2X]

9. Kamala should offer him a cabinet position

And then after she wins tell him no thank you.

[B.See]

21. Given the sht he's said

doing so would be a betrayal of the DNC platform.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

10. So would he have to be ordained ...

to head Trump's Ministry of Truth?

[jcgoldie]

11. Boy he sure stopped giving a fuck about the environment quick...

Didn't he?

brainworm'd.

[Sky Jewels]

18. His wife Cheryl Hines, too.

Larry David (who is a big environmentalist) introduced them, back when RFK seemed to actually care about the environment. How the FUCK do these people live with themselves? I mean, okay, RFK is pretty obviously mentally ill, but what is Cheryl Hines' excuse for going along with this shitshow?

[electric_blue68]

19. I believe he was a very good environmental lawyer for a long time...

even after he started going off track as an anti-vaxxer.

It's really tragic he then really went round the bend.

[Oopsie Daisy]

13. End his Secret Service protection, now.

He's not a serious candidate. The gig is up. The cat is out of the bag.

[Cattledog]

15. He would lose SS protection.

[mdbl]

16. Why don't these assholes just buy a small continent somewhere at sea

and rule there they way they want to and leave all of us normal people alone.

[onandup]

20. This makes me a little nervous

This election could be very close.

[struggle4progress]

22. One-time heroin addict considers endorsing Trump