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Donald Trump has dismissed suggestions that he is considering presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his running mate for the 2024 election.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump denied that the former Democratic turned Independent White House hopeful is in the running to be the next potential vice president, echoing a similar sentiment issued by his campaign team.
Trump is expected to clinch the 2024 GOP presidential nomination after comprehensively winning both the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary.
The former president has given no major indication as to who he may pick as his next running mate, but names such as South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and New York Representative Elise Stefanik are among those considered part of the shortlist.
While sharing a Breitbart article on social media which dismisses reports the son of former Senator Bobby Kennedy and nephew of the former President John F. Kennedy is in the running, Trump said: "He is by far the most Radical Left person running for office, maybe ever! Look at his environmental program, and close up the USA!"
During his time as an environmental lawyer, Kennedy Jr. pushed for a ban on fracking, won numerous legal battles against large corporate polluters, as well as helped set up Waterkeeper Alliance, a non-profit devoted to protecting clean water that has worked on six continents.
Kennedy Jr. is also a prominent vaccine conspiracy theorist, including touting the highly disputed claim that there is a link between vaccines and autism.
Kennedy Jr. recently said he would not accept the role of Trump's running mate, while also claiming that members of Trump's team reached out to him about it.
"I would not take that job. I'm flattered that President Trump would offer it to me but it's not something that I'm interested in," Kennedy Jr. told NewsNation.
When asked whether Trump's campaign had come to him about the potential of him being Trump's running mate, Kennedy Jr. replied: "People from the team reached out to me."
Kennedy Jr.'s campaign team has been contacted for comment via email.
Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, also denied the reports that Kennedy Jr. is in the running as the Republican's next running mate, as well as the suggestions that Trump's 2024 team originally approached Kennedy Jr. with the idea.
"This is 100% FAKE NEWS - NO ONE from the Trump Campaign ever approached RFK jr (or ever will) - one of the most LIBERAL and radical environmentalists in the country," LaCivita posted on X, formerly Twitter. "For all the fake news- update your stories."
In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump said that there is "no rush" on his selection for running mate, but appears to be leaning towards one name.
"The person that I think I like is a very good person, pretty standard. I think people won't be that surprised, but I would say there's probably a 25 percent chance it would be that person," Trump said.
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more