There were two big stories this week: the DNC and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Well, the DNC is over, and Trump is hoping to cut its news cycle short by dropping a bombshell announcement on Friday.
Talking Points…
- Kennedy VP stunning suggestion
- Donald Trump promises big surprise
- Analysis
Several days ago, Kennedy's VP, Nichole Shanahan, suggested that she and Kennedy were contemplating joining forces with the Trump campaign to beat Kamala Harris and the Democrats. She stated:
"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 — or we draw, somehow, more votes from Trump.
"Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump, and we walk away from that, and we explain to our base why we're making this decision."
This created quite a buzz, with the media now pressuring Kennedy to reveal if he would stay in the race or drop out. Donald Trump and his team were also asked about joining forces, and Trump was clearly up for it.
Kennedy is holding about 5% right now, well within the margin of Harris's lead in most battleground states and nationally. Suppose Kennedy were to drop out, even with an endorsement for Trump. In that case, it is unlikely his entire base would move over to Trump unless Trump were to add Kennedy to his cabinet, thereby giving Kennedy and his supporters a much larger voice in the administration.
On Thursday, this conversation heated up even more, with multiple sources stating that Kennedy was going to suspend his campaign. Kennedy then announced that he would be making a campaign speech on Friday to discuss his path moving forward. Both Kennedy and Trump were slated to be in Arizona on Friday, so you can see why speculation is running rampant right now.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who has somehow managed to worm himself deep inside Trump's inner circle, got the ball rolling on Thursday by projecting where Kennedy could possibly fit into a Trump administration. He stated:
"Look, I think let's let what's going to happen play out without stepping on any announcements that he's going to make.
"But I think RFK Jr. has been thoughtful on a number of issues, particularly on COVID policies. So the failed COVID policies is something that he has been particularly incisive about and insightful about, and so a lot of that requires rectifying those wrongs."
Then, the Trump campaign announced that it was having a special guest who would be appearing with Donald Trump during his Arizona rally on Friday afternoon. The campaign stated:
"President Trump will be joined by a special guest as he delivers remarks about his America First policies and his vision to lower inflation and the cost of living, secure the border, and make our cities safe again."
The only way I see Kennedy joining forces with Trump is with a cabinet position, and if that happens, conservatives are going to have to live with a likely liberal policy adviser in Trump's administration. But, if this puts Trump over the top, I doubt people would mind throwing Kennedy a bone to get the Democrats out of the White House. We will know soon enough because Trump will be introducing his special guest shortly after this report goes live.
