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Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has reportedly reached out to Kamala Harris offering to suspend his campaign and endorse her in exchange for a job in her potential future administration – an offer very similar to one he recently made to her opponent Donald Trump.
RFK Jr’s appeal to the Democratic ticket occurred last week, according to The Washington Post and CNN, citing a source from each campaign.
But, the Kennedy dynasty heir appears to have been swiftly rebuffed, with Harris’s campaign so far ignoring the request for a meeting.
Harris’s spokesperson Matt Corridoni said on Wednesday: “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.”
RFK Jr had previously called Trump in the wake of the former president’s assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally in July – and just before the Republican National Convention – to float the possibility of a cabinet-level position or other senior role related to health and medical issues should the GOP nominee win November’s election.
No deal was ultimately made as Trump’s team was reportedly concerned about the optics of a quid pro quo.
In leaked audio of their call, the former president is heard telling RFK Jr: “Anyway, I would love for you to serve. I think it would be so good for you and so big for you.
“And we’re gonna win – we’re gonna win – we’re way ahead of the guy,” he said referring to President Joe Biden, before he stepped aside from the race.
Not long after RFK Jr’s appeal to Trump was reported, The New Yorker revealed a text exchange where the independent candidate once referred to the former president as a potential sociopath, a “terrible human being” and the “worst president ever”.
Earlier in the election cycloe, RFK Jr was feared as a serious “spoiler” candidate who threatened to peel crucial votes away from both the Democratic and Republican tickets.
But the vaccine sceptic has failed to gain major traction in polls, with his campaign haunted by the re-emergence of embarrassing stories from his past about brain worm infestations and rumored barbecued dogs, culminating in an revelation that he once left a dead bear cub in Central Park.
Disowned politically by many members of his famous family, RFK Jr has also faced an accusation of sexual assault, which he claimed to have “no memory of” in a texted apology to his accuser.
This week, he was struck from the ballot in New York over a “sham” claim that he lived in the state – wiping out his hopes of appearing on the ballot in all 50 states.
