Former President Donald Trump met with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about a potential endorsement and a role in a second Trump administration, the Washington Post reported.
They initially began talking after the assassination attempt on Trump, according to the Post. They discussed Kennedy overseeing health and medical issues, the Post reported, citing four people.
In an interview, Kennedy said he was willing to talk to anyone about children's health and how to end chronic diseases.
"I have a lot of respect for President Trump for reaching out to me," Kennedy said to the Post. "Nobody from the DNC, high or low, has ever reached out to me in 18 months. Instead they have allocated millions to try to disrupt my campaign."
Kennedy declined to endorse Trump, saying he was continuing his campaign. The Kennedy campaign did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Several Trump aides expressed concern that Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist, being given in a role in the Trump administration and that any agreement between them could be problematic, the Post reported. The conversations ended without any conclusion, according to the Post.
A Trump spokesman confirmed the meeting to the Post.
"President Trump met with RFK and they had a conversation about the issues just as he does regularly with important figures in business and politics because they all recognize he will be the next president of the United States," said Danielle Alvarez, a Trump spokeswoman.
Kennedy has been critical of Trump in the past, including the lockdowns and travel restrictions put in place at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, while Trump has called Kennedy a Democrat plant.
Despite the public criticism, Trump considered picking Kennedy as his vice president, but his advisers opposed the idea, the Post reported.
Last week, Kennedy apologized after video of a phone call between himself and Trump leaked.
In the call, Trump told Kennedy he agrees with his stances on vaccines. Kennedy has been outspoken about his opposition to vaccines. On the call, Trump was reportedly angling to get Kennedy's endorsement on the call.
"I would love you to do something," Trump said. "I think it'll be so good for you and so big for you. And we're going to win."
The Trump campaign did not respond to an immediate request for comment from Newsmax.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.