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Will Donald Trump betray RFK Jr?

A deadly embrace. Credit: Getty

October 9, 2024 - 1:00pm

A severe weather warning this week forced the cancellation of a “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) virtual town hall featuring Donald Trump, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The event, part of a series of joint appearances by the unlikely political allies, promised to tackle America’s obesity and chronic disease epidemics. Its postponement does nothing to dampen the peculiar buzz surrounding this new “Blue MAGA” super-team, which has sent shockwaves through the political establishment. But as this alliance takes shape, a question looms: will Trump ultimately betray his newfound ally?

It wouldn’t be the first time Trump has turned on a supporter. Just ask former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who in 2016 went from being Trump’s primary opponent to his apparent surrogate before becoming his fiercest critic in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Denied a position in the new administration he helped elect, Christie serves as a cautionary tale for anyone entering Hurricane Trump’s path of political destruction — Kennedy included.

Kennedy’s recent endorsement of Trump seemed, at first glance, like a political U-turn. But a closer look reveals a more nuanced picture — one that tells us something important about the shifting tectonics of American politics.

The concept of “sheepdogging” in politics refers to the practice of using a populist candidate to herd voters toward an establishment pick. It’s a term that gained traction after Bernie Sanders’s 2016 primary run, when some accused him of ultimately steering his supporters to Hillary Clinton. It’s possible to see Kennedy playing a similar role for Trump, using his anti-establishment credibility to bring disillusioned Left-leaning and otherwise hard-to-classify progressive voters into the MAGA fold. But this strategy carries risks, particularly if Trump decides to discard Kennedy once he’s served his purpose.

At first glance, the two make for strange bedfellows. Kennedy has long railed against genetically engineered seeds and vaccine mandates, while Trump’s administration rolled out the controversial mRNA Covid-19 vaccines and made a number of regulatory changes that were favourable to the biotechnology industry. What’s more, Kennedy’s enduring environmental activism seems at odds with Trump’s climate change scepticism. Differences like these raise questions about the longevity of their partnership.

But the alliance becomes more comprehensible when viewed through the lens of anti-establishment sentiment. Both men have positioned themselves as outsiders fighting against a “rigged system” and an entrenched “deep state”. In that light, Kennedy’s ongoing crusades against Big Pharma and what he sees as Government overreach during the Covid-19 pandemic align neatly with Trump’s “drain the swamp” rhetoric and scepticism of broad-stroke public health measures such as lockdowns.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of putative “against-their-interest” realignment. In the Eighties, many union Democrats flocked to Ronald Reagan, despite his administration’s decidedly anti-union policies. They were drawn by his strong leadership style and cultural conservatism, even as many claimed that he actively worked against their economic interests. It’s equally possible that these workers, many of whom lost their jobs during a period of rapid deindustrialisation overseen by Reagan, threw in their lot with the politician more willing to fulminate against bad behaviours by the country’s trading partners.

Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump did come with some curious caveats. His erstwhile running mate, Nicole Shanahan, told podcast host Adam Carolla that she wanted Trump to admit his Covid-era policies were wrong as a condition of their support — a demand that seems unlikely to be met by a politician not known for apologising. And Trump has made no public commitments to pursue Kennedy’s policy goals in a future administration, something that Christie learnt to his detriment. This suggests that the alliance may be more about optics than substance, setting the stage for a split down the line.

Ultimately, Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump speaks to a fundamental reality of our current political moment. For a significant portion of the electorate, cultural anti-establishment sentiment trumps traditional Left-Right policy divides. Whether you see this as a positive development or a troubling one likely depends on how far away from the centre you sit on the political spectrum, regardless of side.

The old political categories have broken down. As we hurtle toward another contentious 50:50 election, we should remember that in American politics the only constant is change. Kennedy knows the deal: the Trump train goes in one direction, so hop on or get out of the way. Like the politicians who trailed the Reagan revolution, history may soon prove his instincts shrewd. But with Trump’s fickleness unlikely to diminish, will Kennedy find himself cast aside once he becomes a less useful asset?


Oliver Bateman is a historian and journalist based in Pittsburgh. He blogs, vlogs, and podcasts at his Substack, Oliver Bateman Does the Work

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John Murray
John Murray
2 months ago

“will Kennedy find himself cast aside once he becomes a less useful asset?”
In addition, we should ask do bears defecate in forested areas? Is the Pope, in fact, a Papist? Conundrums for the ages.

Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
1 month ago

RFK has no delusions about Trump. He knows exactly what Trump is. But he considers the Dems much more dangerous and dishonest. Maybe the author has been trapped in a cave for two years and missed this.

Here’s another mind-blowing thought. Maybe RFK is throwing in with the new Republican Party – not Trump. People like Vance and Ramaswamy will be around a lot longer than Trump.

Could Trump betray RFK? Maybe. But RFK has already been betrayed by the Dems so he’s not taking a big risk here. Trump doesn’t hold a monopoly on crappy political behaviour. On the other hand, there is virtually no downside for Trump giving RFK some position in health care.

Carlos Danger
Carlos Danger
1 month ago
Reply to  Jim Veenbaas

What position in health care could Bobby Kennedy fill? He’s a lawyer, and worse, a litigator, and worse, a plaintiff’s trial lawyer. He has no experience leading, in business or government. He’s an individual contributor, not a person who knows how to put together a concerted team effort to get things done.

Crucially, Bobby Kennedy has no medical knowledge. I listened to him tell Joe Rogan that WiFi breaks down the blood-brain barrier. He said that there are 100s of studies that show that. There are not 100s of studies. There’s not even one.

Bobby Kennedy does sound good. His voice is grating, but I have gotten used to it. He has a silver tongue, the ability to make crazy ideas sound sane. I wish there was a way for Donald Trump to tap that talent. But I don’t see one.

And I don’t think Donald Trump is going to win the election anyway. The anti-Trumpers are just too strong. Even as weak a candidate as Kamala Harris can’t seem to turn the tide in Donald Trump’s favor.

Martin M
Martin M
1 month ago
Reply to  Carlos Danger

What position in health care could Bobby Kennedy fill?  Conspiracy Secretary?

UnHerd Reader
UnHerd Reader
1 month ago
Reply to  Carlos Danger

Sadly for America and the world your conclusion may be correct.

j watson
j watson
1 month ago

Name someone he hasn’t?
I thought his kids surely, but even his boys he was happy take the hit on the civil fraud property case.
Nonetheless the point about cheering for the supposed anti-establishment figure as a form of displaced revenge/kick back is a definite theme. And much gone wrong for some strata of society to warrant being angry. Only problem is these snake oil merchants offer no real redress

Hugh Bryant
Hugh Bryant
1 month ago
Reply to  j watson

Only problem is these snake oil merchants offer no real redress
They can’t be any worse than the incumbents. At least they might call a halt to the brutal class war that the US elite is currently waging against its own people, flooding the inner cities with illegal immigrants and the country with lethal drugs on behalf of their Wall Street paymasters. Working people did better under the last Trump administration than they have since or for a long time before.

j watson
j watson
1 month ago
Reply to  Hugh Bryant

On what objective measure did they do better? Interested in veracity to that statement and genuinely interested?

Lesley van Reenen
Lesley van Reenen
1 month ago
Reply to  j watson

Time for an edit?

Alex Lekas
Alex Lekas
1 month ago

Really? Chris Christie acted like a petulant child denied an extra cookie. RFK, Jr has been around the scene for some time, was NOT an initial Trump supporter, but rather, someone who was excommunicated from his own party. For a writer who bio claims that he “does the work,” this bit of conjecture and speculation is anything but work.

Hugh Bryant
Hugh Bryant
1 month ago

An object lesson in why you should avoid reading articles whose titles end with a question mark.

Lancashire Lad
Lancashire Lad
1 month ago
Reply to  Hugh Bryant

True. I’m sure an article could appear titled: “Will the sky fall in tomorrow?” and it’d generate a debate, which would most likely be more interesting than the article.

Champagne Socialist
Champagne Socialist
1 month ago

Trump betrays everyone – and everyone knows it.
Con men like Vance and Kennedy think they will get something out of allying themselves to a thief like Trump but all they will get is humiliation and disgrace. And that is all they deserve.

Cho Jinn
Cho Jinn
1 month ago

Have you seen your girl’s unedited 60 Minutes interview? Me neither!

Champagne Socialist
Champagne Socialist
1 month ago
Reply to  Cho Jinn

I saw her absolutely dismantle Trump in real time a few weeks ago.
Did you enjoy that?
(This is the part where he whines about the moderators accurately fact checking Trump’s constant lies or some malarkey about Kamala having the questions in advance – these mugs are so predictable!)

UnHerd Reader
UnHerd Reader
1 month ago

A consistent clown. Consistency is good, even for fools.

UnHerd Reader
UnHerd Reader
1 month ago

C Socialist is always good for a laugh.

Carlos Danger
Carlos Danger
1 month ago

Bobby Kennedy is a talker, not a doer. He’s been that way his whole life. Especially in a Donald Trump administration, his talent would be wasted. Donald Trump doesn’t want talkers besides himself.

So Bobby Kennedy will be left out if Donald Trump wins, just like he was in 2016. He won’t be like Chris Christie, who was toppled by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to settle his grudge against the prosecutor who put his father in prison. He’ll be treated well in words, but he won’t be going to work in Washington.

Martin M
Martin M
1 month ago

Trump ultimately betray his newfound ally? Hopefully. Trump is three quarters mad, but Kennedy is next-level crazy.