U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivers remarks while U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a press conference. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Social media users are speculating that Robert F Kennedy Jr allegedly placed a nicotine pouch in his mouth while fielding questions during his second Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. Mr Kennedy, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, was seen pulling something out of his inside jacket pocket and holding onto it as Washington Senator Maria Cantwell quizzed him.

The eagle-eyed social media users spotted that between his responses, Mr Kennedy seemingly removed something that was resting under his left lower lip and slipped another item into his mouth — using his tongue to position it in front of his gum.

Internet reacts

As per the users, Mr Kennedy was using Zyn, a brand of small, flavoured pouches that sit under the consumer’s gum and lip. It is marketed as a healthier alternative to cigarettes that helps users get rid of their smoking habit.

However, not many were impressed by Mr Kennedy’s use of the alleged nicotine product with many stating it was hypocrisy on the part of the soon-to-be health secretary.

“It’s his life, he can do whatever he wants. But it is quite rich that he consumes nicotine while advising Americans how to live healthily,” said one user, while another defended him saying: “Would you rather he went back to smoking and blowing the nicotine filled smoke out into the public? For some, it is extremely difficult to quit smoking.”

A third commented: “He needs to quit. He preaches a healthy lifestyle and doesn’t follow what he preaches. it’s not shaming him it’s asking him to follow what he preaches.”

RFK Jr poppin’ a Zyn like a boss during his Senate confirmation hearing. I can’t blame him, having to listen to Cherokee Liz shriek like a madwoman would make me crave nicotine too. pic.twitter.com/WrEAdOG3HL

— Jim Minardi (@theminardiparty) January 30, 2025

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RFK Jr’s health agenda

Mr Kennedy has managed to secure the top position in the Trump administration, based on his ‘Make America Healthy Again’ campaign — a play on Mr Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) slogan. He dropped his independent presidential campaign in August last year and endorsed Mr Trump, expressing commitment to prioritise the fight against chronic diseases as well as the big pharma.

“Our big priority will be to clean up the public health agencies,” Mr Kennedy declared during the canvassing trail, naming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and more.

“Those agencies have become sock puppets for the industries that they’re supposed to regulate,” said the 70-year-old, echoing his criticism of the agencies.

Washington DC:

US President-elect Trump has set up the stage for a fiery “day one” in the Oval Office, with the promise of pardoning January 6 Capitol riot prisoners, sealing America’s southern border and rolling back protections for transgender students. To ensure the swift implementation of his radical changes, the incoming president has nominated individuals who are not only loyal to him, but bring their own ideas about how to enact the Republican’s agenda. 

We look at some of Donald Trump’s most notable pledges and his cabinet picks entrusted to deliver those promises. 

1- Mass Deportation Of Undocumented Migrants: One of the biggest pledges of Trump’s campaign was the largest mass deportations of undocumented migrants in US history. He also promised to complete the construction of the wall at the border with Mexico that was started during his first term as US president. 

To oversee his immigration promises, Trump has picked border hardliners Kristi Noem as the Homeland Security Secretary and Tom Homan as his Border tsar.

A four-term congresswoman who became governor of South Dakota in 2018, Noem is a vocal critic of President Joe Biden’s border policies. She was the first governor to send members of her state’s national guard to Texas to help with border enforcement. 

On the other hand, Homan is a former police officer who was acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump’s first term. He was an early advocate of separating children from their parents or caregivers who crossed the border without documentation, which became one of Trump’s more controversial immigration policies during his first presidential term.

2- Moves On Economy, Tax And Tariffs: Trump’s campaign had promised to “end inflation” by imposing new tariffs of at least 10 per cent on most foreign goods. He also pledged sweeping tax cuts. 

To ensure the implementation of his economic agenda, Trump nominated Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary and Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary.

Lutnick was the co-chair of Trump’s transition team and has backed the President-elect’s economic plans, including wide-ranging tariffs. He has also advocated for deregulation of cryptocurrencies and the elimination of income tax.

Meanwhile, Bessent is a Wall Street financier who once worked for liberal billionaire George Soros. He supports Trump’s calls for new tariffs on imports, and like Lutnick, has suggested that the US government sees tariffs primarily as a negotiating tool and not as a permanent source of US revenue.

3- Cost Cuts And Dismantle Bureaucracy: Donald Trump has pledged to restructure federal agencies and ‘dismantle’ bureaucracy by announcing a new entity called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He picked billionaire executive Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the entity.

Though not a federal department, Trump said DOGE will “provide advice and guidance” from outside the executive branch and work closely with the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to propose cuts. 

As part of his new role, Musk has suggested a possible $2tn in spending cuts and vowed to send “shockwaves” through the government. Ramaswamy has also backed the idea of dramatically shrinking the size of the federal government, streamlining agencies and cutting costs.

4- Abolish Climate Regulations: Trump has promised to cut regulations, especially in a way that helps the American car industry. He pledged to increase production of US fossil fuels on day one in favour of renewable energy sources such as wind power.

Much of this work will be overseen by North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Trump’s new energy czar and pick for Interior Secretary, along with Chris Wright, a Colorado-based natural gas fracking CEO and Trump’s pick for Energy Secretary. 

Both are staunch fossil fuel advocates, but each has also worked with clean energy.

5-Foreign Policy Change With Ending Russia-Ukraine War And China Tariffs: During his election campaign, Trump criticised the tens of billions of dollars spent by the US administration on supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia. He pledged to end the conflict “within 24 hours” through a negotiated deal. He also pledged to levy a 60 per cent tariff on all goods from China. 

To oversee his foreign policy and national security, Trump has picked Marco Rubio and Secretary of State, Michael Waltz as National security advisers and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Rubio, who represented Florida since 2011, is part of the Senate intelligence and foreign relations committees and is known for his hard-line positions on Iran and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as China.

Waltz too, like Rubio, has talked tough on China. As chair of a House subcommittee, he argued that the US should prepare more for conflict in the Pacific.

A military veteran who served with a medical unit in Iraq, Gabbard has routinely opposed American foreign policy. A former Democrat, she blamed NATO for the Russia-Ukraine war and echoed a Kremlin claim that there were US-funded biolabs in Ukraine. As Trump’s intel tsar, her role will be critical for US-backed wars.

6-Affordable Care Act Repeal: Donald Trump aimed to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and propose its replacement with a system that would lower premiums and expand health savings accounts. 

Trump picked a longtime lawyer and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F Kennedy Jr as Health and Human Services. Despite having no medical qualifications, he would have broad remit over US federal health agencies – including those that oversee approval of vaccines, whose use he wants to review.

Washington:

Conspiracy theories about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy have floated around the fringes of US politics for decades. Now his nephew Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could bring them into the heart of the White House.

Kennedy — the vaccine skeptic tapped by President-elect Donald Trump as his health secretary — has been pushing for his daughter-in-law to be the deputy director of the CIA, US media reports say.

The US news outlet Axios said that part of Kennedy’s motivation for getting Amaryllis Fox Kennedy the job was to prove his belief that the intelligence agency had a role in the shooting of his uncle in Dallas in November 1963.

It’s a move that has reportedly angered some US lawmakers — but which also shows the extraordinary influence that the man dubbed RFK Jr. already has in Trump’s transition team.

As with his views on vaccines, autism, Covid-19 and fluoride in water, Kennedy’s ideas about the assassination are far from the mainstream.

In a radio interview in 2023, RFK Jr. said there was “overwhelming evidence the CIA was involved” in JFK’s murder, adding that it was “beyond a reasonable doubt at this point.”

That runs counter to the findings of the Warren Commission that investigated the shooting, which found it was carried out by a former Marine sharpshooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone.

Kennedy said in the same interview that there was “very convincing” but “circumstantial” evidence the agency was also behind the 1968 assassination of his own father, Robert F. Kennedy, who was killed while campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president.

Palestinian immigrant Sirhan Sirhan, who was seized immediately at the scene of the shooting, was convicted of the killing and remains in jail.

‘Big discussion’

But a belief in conspiracy theories has never been a bar to a job with Trump, the great disruptor of US politics.

Indeed, in RFK Jr.’s case, Trump appears to have embraced it.

The former environmental lawyer made his own White House run as an independent earlier this year before throwing his support behind Trump.

Trump rewarded him by nominating him for his dream job as Health and Human Services secretary — although Kennedy faces potentially rocky confirmation hearings.

Since then, Kennedy has become one of Trump’s key courtiers.

After the November 5 election, he was photographed on Trump’s plane eating a McDonald’s meal with tech tycoon Elon Musk and Trump’s son Don Jr. — despite Kennedy’s own campaign against junk food.

RFK Jr. was at Trump’s side again on Thursday as the president-elect rang the New York Stock Exchange bell to celebrate being named Time magazine’s person of the year for a second time.

Asked by Time what he would do if RFK Jr. moved to end childhood vaccination programs in the United States, Trump said he would be having a “big discussion” with Kennedy.

The New York Times reported on Friday that the lawyer helping Kennedy pick officials for the Trump administration had previously petitioned US regulators to revoke approval for the polio vaccine, which scientists say has saved more than a million lives and prevented perhaps 20 million cases of childhood paralysis.

‘Stopped at all costs’

With Trump now reportedly considering Amaryllis Fox Kennedy for the CIA job, it seems Kennedy’s other left-field theories could also get a major airing.

Trump himself has promised to release the last of the previously classified files on the Kennedy assassination that are held in the US National Archives.

The appointment of Fox Kennedy — who is married to RFK Jr.’s son and served as her father-in-law’s campaign manager — would be controversial for other reasons too.

In 2019 she published a memoir about her time in the CIA but reportedly did not seek advance clearance from the government.

Fox Kennedy hit back at reports that some lawmakers and former intelligence officials oppose her getting the role.

“A Kennedy at CIA, they fret,” she wrote on X. “A DJT (Donald J. Trump) loyalist at Langley, they wail. She must be stopped at all costs!”

For America’s most famous — and tragic — political dynasty, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has become a black sheep.

JFK’s only grandson, Jack Schlossberg, accused RFK Jr. on the X social media platform this week of being “so obviously a Russian spy” after the reports about his daughter-in-law.

Kennedy’s office did not reply to a request for comment.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s actress wife Cheryl Hines is facing flak online after she posted a video of her hubby showering partially naked while filming a video for her beauty line in the couple’s bathroom. RFK Jr., the nominee for President-elect Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services department, appeared oblivious as the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star tried to plug her Hines & Young line, which she founded with daughter Catherin. Though the post was meant to be a promotional strategy, it backfired as social media users called her out for the ‘cringy video’.

Captioning her post on Instagram as “H+Y content interruption”, Ms Hines said, “You [RFK Jr.] can’t take a shower, I’m doing a video! No, no, no, I’m doing a…you’ve gotta give me a second I’m doing a video for Hines+Young. Honey… 60% off.”

She added “Oh Bobby” as a caption, followed by heart and smiley face emojis.

In a follow-up post, Ms Hines also included a still photo of products from her line, including a MAHA candle, apparently referencing her husband’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.

Cheryl Hines posts video of RFK Jr in the shower to promote her line of “MAHA” branded candles, body sprays, and creams. pic.twitter.com/jd4DwQFOmL

— PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) November 30, 2024

Social media reacts

The video and Ms Hines’ attempt at promoting her brand at the cost of RFK Jr. did not go down well with social media users who called out the actress for being a ‘grifter’.

“This is one of the cringiest things I’ve ever seen…lost all respect for Cheryl Hines,” said one user while another added: “Lame. Very lame. Maybe don’t follow your husband into the bathroom while he showers to do an advertisement, if you’re going to complain about him taking a shower in the bathroom while you’re doing an advertisement.”

A third commented: “Jesus, gotta give them credit, they are the most consistent grifters in history.”

Also Read | Robert Kennedy Jr “Grabbed” Reporter’s Hand Before Scandal: Report

While most criticised the video, some said it was an attempt by Ms Hines to show that the couple were as strong as ever after it was revealed that RFK Jr. had a “digital affair” with journalist Olivia Nuzzi. The pair allegedly began communicating after the publication of Nuzzi’s profile on Kennedy in New York Magazine. The publication and Ms Nuzzi have since parted ways.

Washington:

Donald Trump did not lose a minute to assemble his new cabinet ministers, but that has received quite extreme reactions. The structure of Trump 2.0 White House has left leaders “stunned” and “appalled”, with some of his choices even rubbing Republicans the wrong way. George Conway, a lawyer and activist said that Trump’s nominations, “would arguably have been the worst in American history”.

Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence

Photo Credit: Reuters

Trump’s decision to nominate Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence has raised concerns among national security experts. Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, lacks formal intelligence experience, sparking worries about her ability to lead the intelligence community.

Her background is marked by a significant shift in political allegiance, having run for president in the Democratic primaries in 2020, only to leave the party in 2022 and endorse Trump. This drastic change has led some to question her suitability for the role.

Gabbard’s experience includes serving on the House Committee on Homeland Security for two years, but she has never held a senior government position or worked directly in intelligence. Her anti-interventionist stance, advocating for US non-involvement in global conflicts, has also been at odds with the US Intelligence Community’s decisions.

The nomination has been met with scepticism from some members of Congress, including Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, who expressed her dismay on social media. 

“Not only is [Gabbard] ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics in conspiracy theories and cosies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin,” Spanberg said.

Jamie Metzl, a former Clinton administration official said, “If you are part of a foreign government, even an allied government, are you really going to want to share your most important intelligence with the United States government, recognizing that there are people who are at central nodes in our government who are so sympathetic to our adversaries?” he asked. “It’s really concerning.”

With Gabbard’s unconventional background and shifting political loyalties, concerns about her ability to effectively lead the intelligence community remain.

Matt Gaetz – Attorney General

Photo Credit: Reuters

Matt Gaetz, a U.S. congressman from Florida since 2017, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for attorney general, sparking controversy due to pending allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. 

Gaetz resigned from his House seat just hours after Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, amid a scheduled House Ethics Committee vote on releasing the results of an extensive investigation into these allegations, which Gaetz denies.

As attorney general, Gaetz would oversee the Justice Department, which has been investigating him for years on sex trafficking and obstruction of justice allegations. 

Notably, Gaetz was informed last year that he wouldn’t face charges, but the House ethics investigation remains ongoing.

The nomination caught fellow Republicans off guard, with CNN reporting an “audible gasp” from House Republicans during a closed-door meeting when the news broke.

“I was shocked at the nomination,” Senator Susan Collins said when she first heard about the announcement.

Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said, “Do you think he’s a serious candidate? Not as far as I’m concerned.”

Gaetz’s appointment has raised concerns, given the serious allegations against him and the significant role of the attorney general in leading the Justice Department. Trump’s decision to nominate Gaetz highlights the contentious nature of his cabinet selections following his presidential election victory against Democrat Kamala Harris.

Robert F Kennedy Jr – Health Secretary

Photo Credit: Reuters

Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services has sparked widespread criticism due to Kennedy’s history of promoting debunked health-related conspiracy theories, particularly his anti-vaccine stance. 

As a member of one of America’s most prominent political families, being the son of late Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, his views have drawn significant attention.

He is anti-vaccination and has claimed vaccines are linked to autism, despite evidence disproving this claim. He advocates for removing fluoride from public drinking water, contrary to CDC recommendations that highlight its benefits in preventing cavities and promoting oral health. 

He also supports the consumption of raw milk and the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, both of which have been disputed by health experts. Kennedy has also made unusual claims about his own health, including having a brain worm which “ate a portion of it and then died”.

Public Citizen, a non-profit, progressive consumer rights advocacy group, said, “Robert F Kennedy Jr is a clear and present danger to the nation’s health. He shouldn’t be allowed in the building at the department of health and human services (HHS), let alone be placed in charge of the nation’s public health agency.”

These views have raised concerns about Kennedy’s potential impact on the nation’s health policies, especially considering his plans to tackle America’s substance abuse crisis, an issue he has personal experience with, as he was addicted to heroin for 14 years during his youth.

Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary

Photo Credit: X account of @PeteHegseth

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host, as his Secretary of Defense, despite Hegseth’s past criticism of Trump’s foreign policy and military stances during the 2016 campaign. Hegseth had called Trump’s foreign policy views “shallow” but later became a strong supporter.

Hegseth’s nomination is notable, given his unconventional background for the role. He has served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, earning several awards, including the Bronze Star Medal. 

However, his views on certain issues may raise concerns. For instance, Hegseth opposes women serving in combat roles, arguing it lowers military standards and effectiveness. “Women shouldn’t be in combat at all. They’re life-givers, not life-takers. I know a lot of wonderful soldiers, female soldiers, who have served, who are great. But they shouldn’t be in my infantry battalion,” he told Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator in an interview.

He supports troops accused or convicted of war crimes and has advocated for their pardon. He also wants to fire senior officers who support “woke policies”.

Given these stances, Hegseth may face a challenging confirmation process in the Senate. His nomination has already sparked controversy, highlighting the need for careful consideration of his qualifications and views. 

“He is the least qualified person in history of the job,” said a former defence official from Trump’s administration.

As a Fox News personality, Hegseth has been vocal about his opinions, but as Secretary of Defense, his decisions would have far-reaching implications for national security.
 

President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Robert F Kennedy Jr, an environmental advocate and vaccine sceptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Mr Kennedy, who dropped his independent presidential campaign in August and endorsed Trump, has expressed his commitment to prioritising the fight against chronic diseases. His stance on vaccines, however, sets him apart from previous HHS leaders. Mr Kennedy has frequently challenged vaccine mandates. 

“Kennedy will restore these agencies to the traditions of gold standard scientific research, and beacons of transparency, to end the chronic disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!” Trump said.

Who is Robert F Kennedy Jr?

Robert F Kennedy Jr. was born on January 17, 1954, in Washington, D.C. He is the third of eleven children of former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy, and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. Both his father and uncle were assassinated in the 1960s.

He studied at Harvard University, attended the London School of Economics, and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia. Later, he completed a Master’s Degree in Environmental Law from Pace University School of Law, where he co-founded the Environmental Litigation Clinic and served on the faculty for over 30 years.

In the 1980s, Mr Kennedy founded the Waterkeeper Alliance, an organisation focused on clean water advocacy, where he worked as chairman and attorney. His work to restore New York’s Hudson River earned him the title “Hero for the Planet” from TIME Magazine and helped create over 300 similar Waterkeeper groups worldwide. He also played a key role in the New York City watershed agreement, now viewed as a global example of sustainable development.

Mr Kennedy founded Children’s Health Defense to address their health issues and harmful exposures, serving as chairman and lead counsel. While claiming to support vaccine safety, he has also been found spreading false theories, such as vaccines causing autism and COVID-19 being targeted at specific ethnic groups. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Kennedy was already leading campaigns against vaccines and collaborating with anti-vaccine groups. His organisation has also filed lawsuits against news outlets, accusing them of bias against anti-vaccine views. Studies show his Twitter account was a major source of vaccine misinformation. Mr Kennedy has also met with anti-vaccine activists and supported anti-vaccine literature, despite evidence that vaccines are safe and necessary for public health.

Some of Mr Kennedy’s legal wins include cases against Monsanto in 2018 and DuPont in 2019 for contamination, which inspired the movie Dark Waters. He has also advocated for Indigenous groups in North and South America.

Mr Kennedy has authored several books, including bestsellers Crimes Against Nature (2005) and The Real Anthony Fauci (2021). He has also written children’s books on American history and Saint Francis of Assisi.

Robert F Kennedy Jr is married to actress Cheryl Hines and has seven children from three marriages.

Donald Trump, who is set to return to the White House after his victory over Kamala Harris in the November 5 US presidential elections, has appointed anti-vaccine activist Robert F Kennedy Jr as his secretary of the health department. “Kennedy will restore these agencies to the traditions of gold standard scientific research, and beacons of transparency, to end the chronic disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!” Trump said.

Moving quickly since his election last week, Trump has begun rolling out his administration – some of whom include a TV news anchor at the helm of the Pentagon.

The 78-year-old leader has secured all seven swing states, including Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Nevada.

Olivia Nuzzi, a political reporter for the New York Magazine, has been placed on leave as a “third-party review” is being conducted after the disclosure of her personal relationship with former US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Nuzzi, the Washington correspondent of the magazine, recently admitted to her editors that she was engaged in a relationship “with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign,” according to a statement by the news outlet on Thursday.

It also said Nuzzi, who has written extensive long-form pieces about US politics, including RFK Jr, violated the magazine’s standards around disclosing conflicts of interests

The magazine stated that after reviewing her work, it did not find any “inaccuracies nor evidence of bias,” adding that she is “currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review”.

In a note to the staff members, David Haskell, the editor of New York magazine, stated that Olivia Nuzzi opened up about her relationship a few days ago, stating that it started in December 2023 and came to an end in August.

In a statement to The New York Times, Olivia Nuzzi said that “some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal”.

“The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York,” she said.

Who is Olivia Nuzzi?

Born on January 6, 1993, in New York City, Olivia Nuzzi grew up in Middletown Township, New Jersey.

After completing her graduation from Middletown High School South, she went on to attend Fordham University. However, she reportedly dropped out of it after getting a full-time offer from The Daily Beast in 2014.

At the age of 20, Nuzzi interned for Anthony Weiner’s New York City mayoral campaign. During the same time, she was hired by NSFWcorp as a staff writer and wrote about her experiences in a blog post.

While working for The Daily Beast she covered the presidential campaigns of Chris Christie and Rand Paul, besides former US president Donald Trump’s ascent into politics.

Politico had in 2016 named her as one of the “16 Breakout Media Stars”, while Forbes mentioned her in its “30 Under 30” list in 2018.

She was hired as the Washington correspondent for New York magazine in February 2017. In November last year, she worked on a profile of Kennedy, besides writing other features.

Olivia Nuzzi got engaged to Politico’s chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza in 2022.

After Nuzzi’s alleged relationship with Kennedy, Lizza in a note to readers said, “Because of my connection to this story through my ex-fiancee, my editors and I have agreed that I won’t be involved in any coverage of Kennedy in Playbook or elsewhere at POLITICO”.

U.S. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign rally on August 23, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona, U.S.A.
| Photo Credit: AP

Donald Trump has added former White House hopefuls Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his transition team if he wins November’s U.S. presidential election, his campaign said on Tuesday (August 27, 2024).

Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Gabbard hail from outside the Republican party sphere where former President Trump draws most of his support.

“As President Trump’s broad coalition of supporters and endorsers expands across partisan lines, we are proud that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard have been added to the Trump/Vance Transition team,” Mr. Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes said in a statement.

Mr. Kennedy, 70, an environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist and descendent of a Democratic political dynasty, was running as an independent presidential candidate until he suspended his campaign last week and endorsed Mr. Trump. He joined the race for the White House as a Democratic challenger to Biden before switching to run as an independent.

A former Democratic congresswoman, Ms. Gabbard ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. She left the party in 2022 to become an independent. Increasingly critical of Mr. Biden and his administration, she is now popular among conservatives, frequently appearing as a guest on far-right TV and radio shows.

In an interview posted on X on Monday, Mr. Kennedy told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson he had been asked to join Mr. Trump’s transition team “to help pick the people who will be running the government.”

In exchange for endorsing Mr. Trump, Mr. Kennedy is hoping for a job in a potential Trump administration, a super PAC supporting Mr. Kennedy told Reuters last week.

Strategists have said it was unclear how Mr. Kennedy’s endorsement would help Mr. Trump, who is in a tight contest with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Voter interest in Mr. Kennedy waned this summer as Mr. Trump survived an assassination attempt and Mr. Biden passed the campaign torch to Ms. Harris.