RFK Jr claims Invited to join Trump’s team

WASHINTON:

Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who abandoned his campaign last week and endorsed Republican Donald Trump, said on Monday he was asked to be on the former president's transition team if Trump wins the Nov. 5 election.

Why its important?

In exchange for endorsing Trump, Kennedy, 70, was hoping for a job in a potential Trump administration, a super PAC supporting Kennedy told Reuters on Wednesday.

Strategists have said it was unclear how Kennedy's endorsement would help Trump, who is in a tight contest with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Key quotes

"We're working on policy issues together," Kennedy, better known by his initials RFK Jr, told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview posted on X on Monday.

"I have been asked to go on to the transition team to help pick the people who will be running the government and I am looking forward to that."

The Trump campaign had no immediate comment.

Context

An environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist and descendent of a Democratic political dynasty, Kennedy entered the race in 2023 as a challenger to President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination and then switched to run as an independent.

But voter interest in Kennedy waned this summer as Trump survived an assassination attempt and Biden passed the campaign torch to Harris. Kennedy courted many controversies and proclaimed he had "many skeletons in my closet."