RFK Jr. running mate Shanahan says they’re considering endorsing Trump

CNN —

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate Nicole Shanahan said the Kennedy campaign is considering dropping out of the race and endorsing former President Donald Trump while framing the choice through her hope of reducing “the risk” of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming president.

In an interview with podcast host Tom Bilyeu posted on Tuesday, Shanahan acknowledged the Kennedy campaign’s recent conversations with the Trump campaign, which have centered on the possibility of Kennedy endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in Trump’s administration should he win. She framed the decision on whether to endorse Trump around its impact on Harris’ chances of victory in November, arguing Kennedy pulls more votes from Trump than from Harris.

“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 — Kamala Harris and (Tim) Walz presidency. Because we draw votes from Trump, or we draw somehow more votes from Trump,” she said. “Or we walk away right now and join forces with — with Donald Trump.”

Shanahan weighed the choice to stay in the race through a similar framework elsewhere in the podcast, debating whether Trump’s openness to issues core to the Kennedy campaign, particularly vaccine efficacy and safety, make endorsing Trump a more appealing option than “the risk” of Harris winning.

“The question is … is the risk of a Harris-Walz presidency worth us staying in? And that’s the question we have to ask ourselves right now,” she said.

When asked about the role Kennedy could play in a future Trump administration, Shanahan speculated that her running mate may be open to taking a role as secretary of health and human services in a future