RFK Jr. Claims He Was Courted by Trump as a Veep Contender

Because I wrangled press credentials for an RFK Jr. event in Salt Lake in November, I now get regular emails from the campaign. To be completely honest, the fundraising requests from RFK Jr. are a refreshing break from the fundraising requests I get every day from my local GOP candidates. And they are more fun to read. Usually, they are tagged to a story about the campaign, but there are plenty of opportunities to buy merch and even join online auctions where you can win the chance to enjoy a day of falconry with the candidate. 

While Kennedy has some pull with the right and has gained some support through his desire for secure borders and his opposition to entities like BlackRock, he is still in touch with his Democrat roots, recently hosting an event honoring Cesar Chavez and urging his supporters to do their part for the environment on Earth Day.  On the other hand, he was also critical of efforts to oust Trump from state ballots. RFK Jr.'s quasi-cross-party appeal may have been what attracted some members of Team MAGA to him if, indeed, that happened.

The Hill reports that the candidate took to X on Monday, claiming that Trump allies made overtures to him to become Trump's running mate. 

President Trump calls me an ultra-left radical. I’m soooo liberal that his emissaries asked me to be his VP. I respectfully declined the offer.

I am against President Trump, and President Biden can’t win.

Judging by his new website, it looks like President Trump knows who…

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 15, 2024

The Hill also noted that the New York Post and the New York Times had run pieces alleging that Trump was mulling bringing RFK Jr. on board. Because everyone enjoys a good Twitter spat, the Trump camp was quick to hit back, with aide Chris LaCivita posting:

Re-upping this from January …was true then and it’s true now @RobertfKennedJr ….your a leftie loonie that would never be approached to be on the ticket..sorry! https://t.co/Kkti2GOIOS

— Chris LaCivita (@LaCivitaC) April 15, 2024

Monday also saw the launch of a new website that was the brainchild of Trump super Pac Make America Great Again Inc. And it is, well, eye-catching, to say the least. But what would you expect from a website emblazoned with the words "RADICAL  F***ING KENNEDY?" And yes, that is the name. Well, if you can't keep it classy, at least keep it catchy, I suppose. 

The site is a single page, but it gets the point across. It leads with "Gun Confiscation!" "Reparations!" "70 Percent Income Tax!" "Green New Deal." If you close your eyes and have someone read it out loud, it almost sounds like a late-night infomercial. The site also says that Kennedy sided with AOC on the above-mentioned income tax, called the NRA a terrorist group, and supported assault weapons and fracking bans. It also purports that following the 9/11 attacks, Kennedy opined that hog farmers were worse than Osama bin Laden.

The site also warns:

FRIEND OF LEFT-WING EXTREMISTS:

• RFK JR. SAID HE IS “VERY CLOSE TO BERNIE AND A HUGE ADMIRER OF BERNIE SANDERS.” 
• RFK JR. PRAISED RADICAL ANTI-SEMITE LOUIS FARRAKHAN AS A “TRULY GREAT PARTNER.”

REPARATIONS:

•  RFK JR.’S OFFICIAL PLATFORM CALLED FOR ISSUING REPARATIONS.
• IT CALLED FOR “DIRECT REDRESS PAYMENTS OR TAX CREDITS TO THE DESCENDANTS OF THE VICTIMS OF JIM CROW.”

The site is not endorsed by Trump. However, The Hill noted that toward the end of March, Trump posted on Truth Social:

RFK Jr. is the most Radical Left Candidate in the race, by far. He’s a big fan of the Green New Scam and other economy-killing disasters. I guess this would mean he is going to be taking votes from Crooked Joe Biden, which would be a great service to America. His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, is even more “Liberal” than him, if that’s possible. Kennedy is a Radical Left Democrat, and always will be!!! It’s great for MAGA, but the Communists will make it very hard for him to get on the Ballot. Expect him, and her, to be indicted any day now, probably for Environmental Fraud! He is Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, not mine. I love that he is running!

Trump may have a reason to be worried. Most pundits contend that while Kennedy may not win, his presence is enough to create a spoiler effect. While right-leaning thinkers predict the Kennedy campaign will hamper Biden, I received yet another email from Team Kennedy this weekend, announcing that Kennedy's favorability numbers were higher than those of Biden or Trump, according to a Fox News poll. And Kennedy may find some unexpected traction among conservatives. He recently made a stop at The Rubin Report, during which he took on Biden Big Tech:

Via Newsbusters:

RFK JR discusses extralegal methods Biden Administration uses to censor political opponents. Kennedy defends his comments from CNN interview with Erin Burnett and continues to argue that Biden is worse for democracy than Trump. Kennedy also talks about how the White House was… pic.twitter.com/nOk892ZJwM

— Count of Monte Cristo (@MonteCristo1837) April 15, 2024

I would not be surprised if Trump had kicked around the idea of recruiting RFK Jr. as veep. Now, Kennedy is on a bit of a roll and has a populist appeal, but he would have never paired well with Trump and I doubt anyone on Trump's team ever took the idea seriously. And Kennedy's jubilant email about his poll numbers included another request for cash, so he knows he is not yet on firm ground, particularly when it comes to potential shenanigans by the Biden machine.