ReutersRobert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate says he is considering joining the campaign of independent presidential candidate Donald Trump or forming a third party.
In a podcast, Nicole Shanahan said she was considering two options to avoid the “risk” of a Kamala Harris presidency.
He also accused Democrats of “sabotage,” including planting insiders in their campaigns.
Mr. Kennedy has faced several hurdles in his longshot third-party campaign, from legal challenges to getting his name on state ballots to financing his run.
“There are two options we are looking at, one is staying and forming a new party, but we are running the risk of Kamala Harris. [Tim] We’re getting votes from Trump, or somehow more votes from Trump, for the Wallis presidency,” Ms. Shanahan, 38, said on Tuesday’s Impact Theory with Tom Billew podcast.
“Or we just walk out and work with Donald Trump, you know, we walk away from it and we explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”
“It was not an easy decision,” she said.
BBC News has approached the Kennedy campaign for clarification on Ms Shanahan’s comments.
At X on Tuesday, in an earlier post on Twitter, Mr Kennedy said: “As always, I am open to talking with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have worked for over 40 years in my career and in this campaign.”
Kennedy’s running mate said she had more faith in the country’s future under Trump, a Republican, than the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ms. Shanahan dismissed recent reports that the Kennedy campaign had held talks with the Harris group about a possible endorsement or Cabinet post.
Good pictures“We’re here to talk to everybody about what your policies are, who’s going to be in your cabinet, whether you want to hear any of our policies, what can work,” he said.
He noted that former President Trump was very interested in some of his campaign’s policies on chronic disease.
“For that reason, I think we absolutely owe it to the American people to look at that, if we really have to sit down and see if we can make some real changes, if it’s a unity party,” Ms. Shanahan said.
He also accused the Democratic Party of “sabotage”, arguing that “if we had a fair shot we would have won”.
Democrats have “banned us, shadow-banned us, taken us off the stage, manipulated the polls, sued us in every possible state,” and “planted insiders to derail our campaign,” Ms. Shanahan said.
The BBC has contacted the Democrats for comment.
Media reports over the past few months have indicated that Mr Kennedy, 70, has offered to endorse the former president in exchange for a role in his next administration.
In a leaked July phone call between the two candidates, Trump said he “wanted to do something” to support Kennedy.
