‘Dirty Jobs’ host Mike Rowe confirms RFK Jr. called him about VP role
“Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe confirmed he received a call from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about being his running mate on Thursday — after the independent presidential candidate said he would be announcing his VP pick in a matter of weeks.
“Yeah, he called. Actually, I ran into him about six months ago in Dallas, totally serendipitously, and we exchanged information and he reached out about a month ago,” the Emmy Award-winning host told CNN on Thursday.
Rowe said he and Kennedy “had a meeting” and spoke about his foundation, mikeroweWORKS, and about vocational training.
“At some point, he asked me if I would ever consider running for public office, and I spit my coffee back into my cup and I said, ‘Seriously?'” Rowe went on, noting they had a “serious conversation” that was “gratifying.”
Rowe would not reveal whether Kennedy had chosen him to be his VP, but said Kennedy told him, “You should at least consider it” — and that he did.
Kennedy’s campaign announced Wednesday the 2024 candidate had chosen his VP and would be making his announcement on March 26 at a rally in California.
The save-the-date came one day after RFK Jr. told The New York Times he had New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura “at the top of his list” to be his No. 2.
Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and 2020 presidential candidate and 2021 New York mayoral candidate Andrew Yang were also approached by Kennedy about the VP opportunity but apparently declined to take him up on it, according to the Times.
But Rodgers and Ventura have “welcomed” the possible VP slot and a Kennedy campaign rep confirmed to The Post late Tuesday they were among those on a “short list.”
Rodgers has since faced allegations that he had made comments on conspiracies about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which he has denied.
Kennedy, who switched to being an independent after initially running as a Democrat, is the only third-party candidate this cycle to breach double-digit polling numbers.
A HarrisX poll released Monday had Kennedy polling at 12% in a hypothetical matchup against former President Donald Trump (41%) and President Biden (35%). Other third-party candidates, independent Cornel West and the Green Party’s Jill Stein, got 1% each.
