RFK Jr. sought meeting with Kamala Harris to discuss cabinet job in exchange for endorsement
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to arrange a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris last week in which he would offer to drop out of the 2024 race and endorse her in exchange for a spot in her administration — potentially a cabinet-level position.
But Harris, 59, has not demonstrated any interest in meeting with Kennedy, let alone taking him up on his offer, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
“From the beginning of this campaign, we were saying people should be talking to each other,” Kennedy told the outlet. “That is the only way of unifying the country.”
The 70-year-old White House hopeful argued that it would be a “strategic mistake” for the Harris campaign to not consider his proposal.
“I think they ought to be looking at every opportunity,” he said. “I think it is going to be a very close race.”
A spokesperson for the Kennedy campaign suggested that the independent candidate is open to making the same proposal to former President Donald Trump.
“Mr. Kennedy is willing to meet with leaders of both parties to discuss the possibility of a unity government,” the campaign official told The Post.
Trump, 78, reportedly met with Kennedy in Milwaukee last month, on the first day of the Republican National Convention, in an effort to gain his endorsement.
The Harris campaign did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Kennedy’s campaign has floundered since peaking at 15% support last November, according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.
The outlet’s latest survey shows Kennedy mustering only 6% support.
The same poll showed the independent pulling more support away from Trump than Harris, with 9% of voters who backed Trump in a two-way race going for Kennedy when given that option and 7% of Harris supporters doing the same.
An Albany court ruled Monday that RFK Jr. will not appear on New York ballots in November because he does not actually live at the Westchester County address he listed as his place of residence in election filings.
The ruling, made in response to a lawsuit filed by a super PAC that had backed President Biden, spoiled Kennedy’s bid to appear on ballots in all 50 states, and it could have repercussions in other states where he listed the address as his home.
Kennedy told the Washington Post that he has not had any contact with the Democratic Party since launching his campaign other than through litigation.
“The only contact I have with the DNC is them suing me through intermediaries,” he said.