(NewsNation) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his recent support for former President Donald Trump is about “unifying” the Republican Party, not about securing a job for himself.
Kennedy joined NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo for his first prime-time interview since suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump,
“We’re not talking about a particular position for me in the government,” Kennedy told “CUOMO.” “Our agreement is about unifying our party over certain objectives. This will allow me to continue to disagree with Trump.”
According to The New York Times, Trump considered Kennedy as his potential running mate as recently as April. Ultimately, they were connected by Tucker Carlson on the night of the attempted assassination of Trump and spoke on the phone; some of the conversation was leaked by Kennedy’s son, Bobby Kennedy III.
Polling averages showed Kennedy at around 5% nationally before he suspended his campaign. Polling then suggested Kennedy supporters could boost the Republican campaign.
According to the latest Decision Desk HQ polling averages from The Hill, both Kamala Harris and Trump have received slight boosts; 1% and 2%, respectively, since Kennedy endorsed the latter. It is unclear whether these numbers are a consequence of Kennedy suspending his campaign.
Meanwhile, in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Sunday, 79% of surveyed voters said Kennedy’s support makes no difference in their choice come November.
Kennedy may have the largest impact in battleground states; where he has urged his supporters to vote for Trump instead of himself.
His name will remain on the ballot in some states, despite his attempts to be removed from swing states. Wisconsin and Michigan will have Kennedy’s name on the ballot after the Midwestern states declined to scrap his name from the ballot box.
Kennedy told “CUOMO” that “it’s ironic,” given the fact that he initially struggled to be placed on certain ballots.
While discussing policy, Kennedy condemned the murder of six more hostages in Gaza, calling the conflict a “five-front war” against Israel.
“Israel right now is in an existential dilemma,” Kennedy said. “There are people who believe that Israel may not exist because of the forces that are against it.”
NewsNation’s Brooke Shafer contributed to this report.
