The Surprising Call RFK Jr. Received Just Hours After Trump Shooting

But a partnership was still not a done deal after that conversation, and Kennedy continued to entertain the idea. He faced resistance from his wife, Cheryl Hines, a Democrat who has been highly critical of Trump, as well as from aides who warned him that Trump could not be trusted. Kennedy then met with Trump in Milwaukee as the Republican National Convention was underway and began pushing for a specific position if Trump were elected: secretary of health and human services.

The next day, however, Kennedy’s son, Bobby Kennedy III, published movie to X from his father’s first phone call with Trump the night he was shot, which alarmed Trump campaign staffers who now viewed Kennedy as unreliable. While Kennedy quickly apologized, discussions between the two camps ceased.

When the convention ended, President Biden withdrew from the race and Democrats threw their weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris, surprising Trump. Kennedy apologized again, and two weeks later he and Trump spoke again. They met on Aug. 12 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, with Wiles, Fox, Trump Jr. and Malik in attendance, and discussed their alliance.