Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly may end his independent campaign for the White House to "join forces" with former President Donald Trump — who said Tuesday that he was "open" to the idea.
Kennedy's running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said in a podcast posted online Tuesday that they were considering "two options" as the Nov. 5 election approaches.
"One is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris — Kamala Harris and (Tim) Walz presidency. Because we draw votes from Trump, or we draw somehow more votes from Trump," she said. "Or we walk away right now and join forces with — with Donald Trump."
Trump responded by telling CNN he'd be "honored" by a Kennedy endorsement and would consider giving him a role in a potential future administration.
"He's a brilliant guy. He's a very smart guy. I've known him for a very long time," Trump said after a campaign stop in Michigan. "I didn't know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I'd be open to it."
In an afternoon post on social media, Kennedy was vague about his plans.
"As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign," he wrote.
Kennedy, whose campaign is publicly opposed by most of his siblings and other relatives, has qualified for the ballot in 23 states and has enough signatures to appear on the ballot in 22 more and Washington, D.C., according to CBS News.
He doesn't have enough signatures to qualify in four other states, CBS said, and is appealing a judge's ruling that threw out his ballot petition in New York on grounds that he falsely claimed a residence there while living in California.
The decision is now being used to challenge his ballot access in the battleground states of Georgia and Pennsylvania, according to reports.
