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Donald Trump said he would consider giving independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy a position in his administration in exchange for his endorsement.
The former president made the comments during a spur of the moment interview with CNN on Tuesday.
Trump was asked if his campaign had offered Kennedy a role and if he had heard that the independent candidate was considering endorsing him. The former president said he had not considered a spot for Kennedy but said he'd "love that endorsement."
The reporter then asked Trump if he would consider creating a spot for Kennedy in his potential administration. Trump cocked his head to the side and stammered for a bit, clearly caught momentarily off-guard by the question.
"You're asking me a very unusual question, I haven't been asked that question yet." Trump said. "I like him a lot, I respect him a lot, I probably would if something like that would happen."
The exchange comes on the heels of Kennedy's running mate, Nicole Shanahan, telling a podcaster that their campaign was struggling financially and was considering joining forces with Trump.
“One is staying in, forming that new party but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump. Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump,” she told Impact Theory.
In July, Kennedy’s campaign spent more than $7 million, according to raw FEC data, but only brought in roughly $5.6 million. Approximately $2.5 million of that was given directly by Shanahan.
If Kennedy does join Trump, he will have started the 2024 race as a Democrat trying to primary Joe Biden, then became an independent, and will end the race with the Republicans.
Kennedy is facing ballot access challenges in several states, and has been dropping in the polls as embarrassing and bizarre stories about him pile up. The most recent story includes him driving around with a dead bear cub in his car for several hours before he decided to dump its carcass in Central Park. Before that he talked about a worm eating part of his brain and dying in his head.
The independent candidate has also been fighting for endorsements. He almost had a good week when it appeared right-wing media figures like Joe Rogan and Tim Pool were publicly backing him, but later walked their comments back – at the urging, some argued, of furious MAGA loyalists.
Kennedy has also reportedly been trying to secure a job anywhere. He's made clear he wants to be part of Trump's administration, but has also reportedly approached Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign to discuss possible positions.
A spokesperson for Harris said they have “no intention” of negotiating that possibility.
