RFK Jr. Considering Withdrawing From Race and Endorsing Trump

During an appearance with Tom Bilyeu on the Impact Theory podcast, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, spoke about attacks the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has coordinated against the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign.

Rumor: Kennedy in Talks With Harris Campaign

Bilyeu asked Shanahan about rumors Kennedy was in talks with both Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and former President Donald Trump’s campaign, stating:

There were rumors going around that RFK was in talks with Trump, that he was in talks with the Harris camp for potential endorsement to either of them if they could give him I presume a spot in one of their Cabinets, is there any truth to it? Would love to hear about that.

Shanahan dispelled rumors that Kennedy is in talks with the Harris campaign, stating:

Definitely not in talks with Harris. Definitely never have brought up this idea of an endorsement with Harris. Definitely have never brought up a cabinet position with Harris. So those are the MSM just taking something, and spinning it in a way that makes their chosen political group look good. Fake news.

Confirmed: Trump Interested in RFK Policies

She then stated that Trump has taken interest specifically in the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign policy on ending the chronic disease epidemic:

With that being said, we have offered to talk to everybody about what your policies are, who’s going to be in your Cabinet, do you want to hear any of our takes on policy and what might work. We’ve open-sourced our platform very proudly, and I will say that Trump has taken genuine, sincere interest in our policies around chronic disease. He takes it seriously. For that reason I think it behooves us to sit and see if we can actually make some real change, and if that is a unity party, I think that it is something that we absolutely owe to the American public to explore.

Kennedy also said he was willing to speak with political leaders to further the goals of his campaign, stating on X:

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.

Bilyeu asked at what point the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign would make a decision to unify with another campaign, and noted concerns they could be a “spoiler” campaign. Shanahan responded:

We did not start this campaign, 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. I will say that Clear Choice, this PAC, this DNC-aligned PAC that was created specifically to take us out, has spent millions of dollars to take us out. They have unfortunately turned us into a spoiler.

“Mind-blowing” Sabotage

She alleged that the DNC has engaged in a coordinated effort to sabotage the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign through lawsuits to remove them from the ballot in multiple states, and said the DNC has gone so far as to plant insiders within their campaign to create legal issues:

We don’t want to be a spoiler, we wanted to win, we wanted a fair shot. The DNC made that impossible for us. They have banned us, shadow-banned us, kept us off stages, manipulated polls, used lawfare against us, sued us in every possible state. They’ve even planted insiders into our campaign to disrupt it, and to create actual legal issues for us. The extent [of] the sabotage they’ve unleashed upon us is mind-blowing. I mean we’re still learning new ways that they have sabotaged us.

In Kennedy’s response to the DNC attacks on his campaign, he said the Democratic Party positioning itself as the party of liberty is “like the arsonist telling us he’s a firefighter,” stating on X:

The Democratic Party positions itself as the party of liberty. Kamala Harris says that Americans should make personal decisions without the “government telling them what to do.” Tim Walz’s Golden Rule is “Mind your own damn business.” In view of the censorship, surveillance, vaccine mandates, and the confederacy of fixers openly working to prevent me from getting on ballots, this is like the arsonist telling us he’s a firefighter. I am running to make America once again the Land of Liberty.

Shanahan: “The Democratic Party Taking Us Out”

Reflecting on how the DNC has treated her and Kennedy, Shanahan told Bilyeu she now believes one of the biggest mistakes of her life was helping Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) secure a Democratic Party Senate majority during Georgia’s 2022 U.S. Senate runoff election:

I believed in the America that I, a little girl, pledged an allegiance to. And that is not where we are today. And it is not because of the Republican party taking us out, it is exclusively because of the Democratic party taking us out, and I am so disappointed I ever helped them. I am so disappointed that I helped Chuck Schumer in that Georgia runoff secure a majority. It’s probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life, and it’s really devastating.

Joining Forces With Trump Campaign

Shanahan said the campaign is considering changing course in response to the DNC’s actions, and talked about a spoiler campaign against the Democratic Party:

So, to answer your question, we are not spoilers that was never our motivation, we really wanted a fair shot. I think had we had a fair shot, we would have won. I still would love to see in the last 80 days of this election some miracle play out where we get a chance to debate. I don’t think they’re going to let us. And you know, given this, I think we are taking a very serious look at making sure that the people that have corrupted our fair and free democracy do not end up in office in November. It’s hard, I mean it’s really hard, Tom, to say these words, because it’s also acknowledging how bad things are.

Bilyeu then asked if the campaign saw any path to victory. In her response, Shanahan said the question is whether the risk of a Harris-Walz presidency makes it worth staying in the race:

The question is, you know, is the risk of a Harris-Walz presidency worth us staying in, and that’s the question we have to ask ourselves right now. One, do we trust Trump in his personal sincerity to really do the right thing for our country — end chronic disease, balance the budget, end these forever wars? Is he somebody that’s going to continue to invite people like Bobby and I into the conversation, or is he going to fall victim again to the things he fell victim to in his first administration?

She said the campaign is considering two options: stay in the race to form a third party, or join forces with Trump:

There’s two options that we’re looking at. 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 more votes from Trump, or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump. We walk away from that and we explain to our base why we’re making this decision.

Shanahan said friends in the Democratic Party have contacted her in response to rumors the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign might join forces with Trump. When she informs them of the DNC’s despotic actions, they respond with, “But Trump is worse.” She stated on X:

My old Dem buddies have been flooding me with frantic calls, texts, and emails. … I wouldn’t dream of airing those private conversations publicly, but the message is clear: they’re terrified of the idea of our movement joining forces with Donald Trump. When I point out what the Democratic Party and their super PACs have done to sabotage our campaign, their response is always, “But Trump is worse.” Here’s an idea: Stop suing us. Let us debate. Quit rigging the media and the polls. It’s a simple formula, people—get with it.

DNC Sabotaging Other Candidates

Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for president, has alleged that DNC operatives have also sabotaged her campaign, stating on X:

Stop the gaslighting. Right now @TheDemocrats are trying to sue us off multiple state ballots, hiring spies and infiltrators to sabotage us, and even withholding public funds we qualified for months ago. Democrats ABSOLUTELY cheat and change the rules to maintain their grip on power.

Kennedy to Address the Nation

Kennedy is expected to make a major announcement tomorrow afternoon. Stefanie Spear, press secretary for the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign, stated on X, “Independent Presidential Candidate @RobertKennedyJr will address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward. 🇺🇸”