Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Tulsi Gabbard To Join Trump Transition Team 'To Help Pick The People Who Will Be Running The Government'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has begun to open the America First movement to several former Democrats who have endorsed his candidacy in recent days. After independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (I-HI) endorsed the 45th president over the past few days, the duo have been added as honorary co-chairs to the Trump transition team alongside Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump. The transition team will be responsible for shaping the personnel and the policy of a second Trump administration.

"I've been asked to go on the transition team, you know, and to help pick the people who will be running the government, and I'm looking forward to that," Kennedy, Jr. told Tucker Carlson in an interview on Monday. Following Kennedy's exit from the race, he said he would be working closely with the Trump campaign to ensure Trump wins in November, adding that he hopes to combat chronic illness in children in a Trump White House to "make America healthy again." Kennedy's endorsement of Trump, in addition to Tulsi Gabbard's support of the Republican candidate, represents a major shift in the presidential race and could allow for disenchanted Democrats to come to Trump's side. 

While RFK Jr. emphasized Trump's support for fighting chronic illness as the reason for his support for Trump, Gabbard, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who left the party in 2022, explained in her speech to the National Guard Association in Detroit, Michigan, that she backed Trump for his foreign policy record that brought stability to the global stage. "I am committed to doing all that I can to send President Trump back to the White House," she said. "Because I am confident that his first task will be to do the work to walk us back from the brink of war. We cannot be prosperous unless we are at peace."

The dual endorsement from former Democrats is the first sign of a broadening coalition against the Democrat Party. "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," senior campaign adviser Brian Hughes told The Hill. "We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team as we work to restore America's greatness."

The Trump campaign announced the presidential transition team earlier this month. It includes former Small Business Administration Secretary Linda McMahon, the head of the financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, and businessman Howard Lutnick. 

🔥 Robert F. Kennedy Jr Says He Was Asked to Be on President Trump's Transition Team

"I've been asked to go onto the transition team and to help pick the people who will be running the government. And I'm looking forward to that."@RobertKennedyJr @TuckerCarlson… pic.twitter.com/OsrgcZf2dL

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) August 26, 2024

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