Shanahan sees Trump-RFK Jr. partnership as 'true coalition'

The running mate of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said their campaign’s partnership with former President Trump represents a “true coalition.”

Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s vice presidential pick, spoke with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo about Kennedy’s Monday endorsement of Trump. She suggested Trump will appoint Kennedy to a spot in his Cabinet if elected to the White House in November.

"I would love to see this as a true coalition government. You know, this is not something we talk about here in the United States, but in other democracies, coalitions are very, very common,” she said on NewsNation’s “Cuomo.”

“So, in a coalition government, Bobby would be in charge to represent our movement, our party, our voices within this Cabinet and, and I have full faith that, you know, Trump is going to honor that,” she added.

Kennedy announced last week that he would be suspending his presidential campaign and endorsing Trump. Kennedy said that there were “no commitments” to serving in Trump’s administration if he wins the election, but the Trump campaign said Tuesday that the independent candidate will be part of the former president’s transition team.

Trump also tapped former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (I-Hawaii) to serve on the transition team.

“We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team as we work to restore America’s greatness,” senior campaign adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement.

Shanahan also told Cuomo on Monday that endorsing Trump on Friday was “amazing” because they “crossed the chasm.”

“[Kennedy] is front and center, focusing on what Americans care about most, and he had almost 30,000 people on stage on Friday shouting his name, and you know, President Trump, to his credit, put out a hand, shook his hand and said, 'Let's do this. Let's engage on ideas that matter. Let's engage on policies that matter. We don't have to agree on everything,’” she said.

“This is not us being absorbed into the Trump camp by any measure. This is a partnership. This is a meeting of the minds with strong boundaries and expectations,” she added.

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