In a surprising twist in the 2024 presidential race, Nicole Shanahan, the running mate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., hinted in a new interview at a potential alliance with former President Donald Trump. During a podcast appearance, Shanahan acknowledged that their campaign's internal polling suggests they are drawing more votes from Trump than from Kamala Harris, raising the possibility of joining forces with the former president to prevent a Harris presidency.
Shanahan, candid about the long odds her and Kennedy face in November, also mentioned that the campaign is weighing whether to stay in the race with the goal of securing at least 5% of the popular vote. She believes doing so could establish their movement as a credible alternative to the entrenched two-party system, potentially laying the groundwork for a stronger push in 2028.
As CNBC reports:
“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 because we draw votes from Trump, or we draw somehow more votes from Trump,” Shanahan said in the interview on the “Impact Theory” podcast.
“Or we walk away right now and join forces with … Donald Trump and you know, we walk away from that and explain to our base why we're making this decision,” Shanahan told interviewer Tom Bilyeu.
“Not easy, not an easy decision,” the attorney and entrepreneur added.
Earlier in the interview, Shanahan said, “I did not put in tens of millions of dollars to be a spoiler candidate.”
“I put in tens of millions of dollars to win, to fix this country, to do the right thing,” she added. “We don't want to be a spoiler.”
As part of this political calculus, there's speculation that RFK Jr. is eyeing a Cabinet position in a future administration. The Kennedy scion proposed this idea to Trump a month ago and to Harris just last week. However, the Democratic nominee was supposedly less than enthused. A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee told The Hill, “No one has any intention of negotiating with a MAGA-funded fringe candidate who has sought out a job with Donald Trump in exchange for an endorsement.”
Following this rebuffed attempt, RFK Jr. took to the social media platform X to criticize Harris, firmly stating, “VP Harris's Democratic Party would be unrecognizable to my father and uncle, and I cannot reconcile it with my values.” He further declared his intention not to endorse Harris but rather to actively work against her candidacy.
While Kennedy and Trump have no shortage of policy differences, some of Trump's supporters argue that he could be a strong ally in overhauling agencies like the FDA or CDC in a Trump administration.
When asked for comment, Kennedy indicated that he was open to having a conversation with Trump: “As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.”
“These are: reversing the chronic disease epidemic, ending the war machine, cleaning corporate influence out of government and toxic pollution out of the environment, protecting freedom of speech, and ending politicization of enforcement agencies,” he continued.
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We must, absolutely win in November. Please join forces with Trump!
Do it!
Patrick, Go back to school and learn proper grammar.
Good more votes for our side