Officials for former President Donald Trump’s campaign are considering adding Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to a potential Trump administration, according to the Washington Post, amid speculation in recent months over who may serve in Trump’s second term if he’s elected.
RFK Jr. dropped his presidential campaign earlier this year to endorse Trump, whom he had previously criticized.
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Key Takeaways
- Kennedy has met privately with Trump transition officials about drawing up plans for a new administration, which could involve Kennedy taking a role as a White House czar instead of leading a government agency, four unnamed people familiar with the planning process told the Washington Post.
- Trump said in September he would create a “government efficiency commission” first proposed by billionaire Elon Musk, whom Trump said agreed to lead the new task force.
- In an interview with Bloomberg in June, Trump indicated he was considering JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon as treasury secretary, though he later walked back his statement and claimed the “Radical Left” proposed naming Dimon or BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to the role.
- During an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show last month, Trump said he had “four or five good choices” for defense secretary, including some names proposed by Hewitt: Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
- There are a few names who are likely being considered to be named Trump’s secretary of state, including Waltz, former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, former U.S. ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell and Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Bill Haggerty R-Tenn., according to Politico.
- Aileen Cannon, the federal judge who dismissed Trump’s classified documents case in July, is among those under consideration for attorney general in a second Trump administration, in addition to former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton, former Senate aide and Republican attorney Mike Davis and former White House lawyer Mark Paoletta, among others, multiple people familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Who Else Is Trump Considering For Cabinet Positions If Elected?
Trump has considered naming hedge fund billionaire John Paulson as treasury secretary, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Haggerty, Clayton, Robert Lighthizer, who served as Trump’s top trade official during his first term, hedge fund manager Scott Bessent and Larry Kudlow, the former director of Trump’s National Economic Council, are also likely candidates for the role, Politico reported. Trump reportedly said earlier this week he would install a new cabinet official who would be tasked with cutting the cost of living, though he did not indicate who would take the role.
What Has Trump’s First Administration Said About A Second Term?
Of the 42 people who worked in Trump’s first administration, 24 have endorsed his bid for a second term, according to the Post. Former national security adviser John Bolton has criticized Trump, saying he is “unfit to be president.” Other former Trump officials have advised against electing Trump again, including Trump’s former chief of staff and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, former Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
News Peg
The Post reported Kennedy and his advisers have discussed 30-, 60- and 90-day plans about what they would like to accomplish if Trump is elected, and Kennedy told the outlet that Trump had “asked me to clean up corruption and conflicts at the agencies and to end the chronic disease epidemic.”
Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Trump’s transition team, appeared to align with Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, saying it would be “pretty cool” to give Kennedy data to study the effectiveness of vaccines. In his endorsement, Kennedy appeared to reverse his tone on Trump after condemning the former president on several occasions.
Text messages obtained by the New York Times showed Kennedy calling Trump a “terrible human being” and “probably a sociopath,” and Trump has called Kennedy a “Radical Left Lunatic.” In 2018, Kennedy denounced Trump’s decision to not probe a link between vaccines and autism in children.
During the pandemic, Kennedy was a critic of Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for his recommendations on Covid restrictions. Despite an often bitter back-and-forth, the two have also shared compliments: Kennedy applauded Trump for entering North Korea in 2019 and said he has “really good instincts.” Kennedy announced last April he would seek the Democratic nomination before later deciding to run as an independent.
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