![Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially announces his candidacy for President on April 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. An outspoken anti-vaccine activist, RFK Jr. joins self-help author Marianne Williamson in the Democratic presidential field of challengers for 2024. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)](https://freeamericanetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ind-vp-nominee-nicole-shanahan-rfk-jr-is-considering-dropping-out-to-join-forces-with-trump.jpg)
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
3:24 PM – Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate has revealed that he is considering dropping out of the race to “join forces” with former President Donald Trump and his campaign.
Nicole Shanahan, the Independent candidate’s vice-presidential pick, made an appearance on the “Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu” podcast, where she made the sudden announcement.
“There’s two options that we’re looking at, and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Tim] Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump,” Shanahan said.
“The other option is we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump … and we explain to our base why we’re making this decision,” Shanahan added. “Not an easy decision.”
Shanahan also admitted that she would feel more at ease in the United States under the leadership of Trump and Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), Trump’s vice presidential nominee, than under a Harris and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) ticket.
“If we are splitting hairs, I would say that I trust the future of this county more under the leadership of Trump and the [Peter] Thiels and the JD Vances than I do right now under Harris and the Reid Hoffmans,” she said, referencing GOP mega donor Thiel and Democrat mega donor Hoffman, who are both venture capitalists.
Shanahan went on to explain that she has been concentrating on “a vision that goes beyond November,” as the Kennedy campaign approaches a turning point. She added that future Independent candidates will gain access to public campaign financing and automatic ballot access if he continues in the race and receives more than 5% of the vote.
“Technically, we could win,” Shanahan said.
On the opening day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month, Trump purportedly met with Kennedy in Milwaukee with the intention of obtaining his endorsement.
The Washington Post reported that during those discussions, the two men talked about the potential for Trump to offer Kennedy a cabinet post or a lower-level position within his administration.
Meanwhile, according to reports, the Harris campaign rejected Kennedy’s requests for a meeting. The 70-year-old Independent candidate had been prepared to present the Harris campaign with a similar proposal.
“No one has any intention of negotiating with a MAGA-funded fringe candidate who has sought out a job with Donald Trump in exchange for an endorsement,” a Democratic National Committee source told The New York Post.
In a head-to-head matchup, Trump led Harris by 1 point, according to a Fox News poll that was released last week. However, when voters were allowed to select Independent candidates, the contest was tied.
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