RFK Jr. inches closer to Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s flirtation with Donald Trump is intensifying as the independent candidate searches for ways to stay in the election, with speculation growing that he might endorse the former president. 

Multiple Kennedy insiders are convening over the phone Wednesday evening to discuss campaign developments, The Hill has learned. ABC News reported Kennedy could drop out of the race by the end of the week and is considering backing Trump. The report noted that no decision has been made just yet.

The report follows an announcement by the Kennedy campaign that the third-party candidate will deliver special remarks Friday in Arizona, the same day Trump will be in the Grand Canyon State.

“My gut is telling me Bobby will drop out and endorse [Trump] together at an event in Phoenix,” a source with knowledge of Kennedy’s operation told The Hill.

One Trump ally said there’s nothing definitive on an endorsement but tea leaves are “pointing in that direction.”

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Kennedy’s camp made headlines during the week of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago after his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said outwardly that Kennedy was considering suspending his campaign to endorse Trump. 

As Kennedy’s own prospects of winning the White House dwindle, he is trying to shore up a political future with the Republican nominee, leaving Democrats in suspense as they look to diffuse another third-party surprise.

“The Kennedy campaign was built on lies from day one,” said Doug Gordon, a Democratic consultant closely tracking Kennedy’s movements. “A lie that he could win. A lie that he was an independent and not a stalking horse for Trump. A lie that this was a movement and not always just about Kennedy’s ego.”

“These last few days have exposed every one of those lies,” he said.

Shanahan’s comments came while discussing the campaign’s strategy on a podcast.

“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,” Shanahan said on Tom Bilyeu’s program, “Impact Theory.” “Or, we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.”

“I need to focus on a vision that goes beyond November,” Shanahan added.

Democrats seized on the remarks as they seek to paint Kennedy as a MAGA-style Republican in an independent candidate’s clothing.

“RFK is desperate and voters will sniff this out and reject him regardless of who he aligns with,” said one Democratic election strategist. Kennedy, the strategist said, is “looking for relevancy instead of pushing a substantive conversation about policy.” 

Kennedy, 70, has struggled to maintain traction in the race. Although his polling has been in the double digits during his best moments, he has dipped to low single digits in the race that is now between Trump and Vice President Harris, the Democratic nominee. His national elevation in polling is even less clear at the state level, where just a handful of battlegrounds determine a candidate’s fate.

Moreover, while Kennedy has locked in nearly two dozen state ballots, many others have not yet been certified.  

Adding to his headaches are his campaign’s financial woes. New Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show Kennedy bleeding money, with nearly $3.5 million in debt. That sum would not necessarily raise alarms on its own, as it’s common for candidates to carry some debt as the cycle fluctuates. But the more concerning figure is that he has less than $4 million cash on hand, FEC records show, which is a meager figure for a legitimate presidential contender just a few months out from the general election. 

Kennedy supporters aren’t blind to these problems. Some believe, given the financial and ballot realities, it would be logical to join with Trump at just the right moment. That could be soon, as Democrats are ginning up enthusiasm during their Chicago convention, or in the coming weeks when the spotlight is spread out more evenly between both parties. 

Positioning Kennedy as a useful ally to Trump is likely going to be easier now thanks to Shanahan’s comments.

“I’d cut a deal,” said the source knowledgeable with Kennedy’s operation. “Then hit the road and do arena-rock-style Kennedy [and] Trump rallies.”

Some Republicans, including Trump himself, seem amenable to the idea of having Kennedy in their corner as they look to expand their supporter base beyond what they had in 2020. “An RFK endorsement of Trump would give the usual suspects in the GOP establishment some heartburn,” said Matt Wolking, who served as deputy director of communications for Trump’s 2020 campaign.

“But Trump is attempting to build a broad coalition, and support from most anyone, especially an outsider against the establishment like RFK, would likely be welcomed by most Trump supporters, even if RFK is very liberal on some issues,” Wolking said.

Kennedy has sought to tamp down any lingering fondness for the left, including seriously distancing himself from his Democratic brand and his family’s long standing within the party. It has so far worked well for Trump, who gave him kudos as he learned about Shanahan’s comments.

Trump told CNN on Tuesday that he would think about offering Kennedy a spot in his administration, saying he’s “a brilliant guy.”

The sentiment from the top trickled down to Trump’s vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who made what looked like an attempt to court his voters and bring them over to the Republican ticket. 

“I’ve never talked to RFK about this, but my pitch to him and to a lot of his voters would be, the Democratic Party of my grandparents that supported his uncle, John F. Kennedy, for president has been completely abandoned by the modern leadership of the Democratic Party,” Vance said during an appearance on Fox News. 

“RFK dropping out clearly helps Trump in the key state of Michigan,” said Scott Tranter of Decision Desk HQ. 

“Similar trends in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but the caveat is RFK has not qualified for the ballot in those states so [it] doesn’t really matter,” he said.

Republicans have been far less acrimonious toward Kennedy and more intrigued by his candidacy than Democrats. 

After Shanahan said she could see a world in which the independent ticket links up with Trump, Democrats remarked that it was a predictable and unsophisticated move from both sides. Some strategists said they envision Kennedy further alienating supporters, particularly as they allege that he has already shape-shifted several times.

“The con he ran on his supporters is likely to leave a lot of them feeling burned,” Gordon said. “Throwing his support behind Trump is likely not going to alter the race much. But it does expose what a fraud he and the entire campaign was from day one.”

Democrats see more potential upside to Kennedy leaving the race than staying in it, regardless of any impending endorsement. It’s unknown whether Kennedy helps Trump or Harris, with polling showing an imperfect and changing snapshot. But many are in agreement that without Kennedy as a consideration in the fall, Harris’s campaign can have some relief. 

“RFK not being in the race is a plus for Kamala. Full stop,” said another Democratic operative who’s tracking Kennedy’s movements. “The only presidential races Democrats have lost in the past 30 years, third-party candidates were a decisive factor.” The operative noted examples of Ralph Nader in New Hampshire in 2000 and Jill Stein in 2016 in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

“Anyone who thinks that the 43-47 percent of the electorate that has backed Donald Trump through Access Hollywood, ‘very fine people’ with tiki torches, Jan. 6, the 30-plus criminal convictions, hundred of thousands of American deaths from COVID, etc., but are going to be swayed away from him by RFK Jr. and Shanahan are deluding themselves,” the operative added.

Brett Samuels contributed.