Donald Trump Running Mate Update as RFK Jr Responds to Speculation

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed people from Donald Trump's team had "reached out" to him about possibly being the Republican presidential frontrunner's 2024 running mate, should he secure the GOP nomination, but insisted "I would not take that job."

Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine sceptic who was running for the Democratic presidential nomination before switching to standing as an independent, made the comments during an interview with network NewsNation.

Asked what he would say if Trump asked him to be his vice-presidential pick Kennedy Jr. replied: "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."

The interviewer then asked "did he reach out? People from his team?" to which Kennedy Jr. replied: "People from the team reached out to me."

A 25-second clip of the exchange was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of self-styled 'pro-democracy' media outlet Meidas Touch.

Newsweek contacted representatives for Donald Trump at 2:40 a.m. ET by email and this article will be updated if they wish to comment.

Separately, the New York Post on January 27 reported Trump's team had expressed interest in Kennedy Jr. as the GOP frontrunner's vice-presidential pick, citing insiders.

Speaking to the publication, one "person familiar with the matter" said: "Trump operatives expressed an interest in Kennedy early on, but it was all premature. Anything's possible. I wouldn't write it off by any means."

On January 23, Trump won the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary with 54.3 percent of the vote against 43.7 percent for Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor.

This followed his victory in the Iowa caucus on January 15 after which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who had been Trump's chief rival in the GOP race, dropped out of the contest and endorsed the former president. The next Republican primary is due to take place on February 24 in South Carolina, Haley's home state, with polling giving Trump a convincing lead.

Trump's electoral victories and clear poll lead has sparked a wave of speculation about who his vice-presidential pick will be, ahead of a likely contest against Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in November.

Christopher Devine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton, Ohio, told Newsweek that he expects Trump to focus on loyalty when making his selection.

Devine said: "Trump has plenty of well-qualified would-be VPs to pick from, including Tim Scott, Kristi Noem, and even Nikki Haley. But my sense is that he will prioritize loyalty, first and foremost—or perhaps I should say, servility. Remember, Mike Pence was loyal to Trump from the time he joined the ticket to the end of 2020; not once did he contradict, criticize, or break from the president. He only said no to Trump once, on January 6, and that was enough to make him a villain in Trump's eyes.

"I expect Trump to pick someone who has already demonstrated the willingness to follow Trump wherever he leads, no matter how outlandish the claim or extreme the policy. Vivek Ramaswamy fits the bill, but has no government experience," Devine added. "Elise Stefanik is perhaps a more likely candidate—someone with significant government experience, and even establishment credentials, but also a clear Trump loyalist who seems willing to say or do whatever it takes to make him happy."