(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman revealed MAGA media personality Tucker Carlson as the figure who personally “connected” Robert F Kennedy Jr. to former President Donald Trump to facilitate the post-assassination attempt phone call that led to the ex-candidate’s endorsement.
In July, footage of a private call between the two just after the shooting at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally was leaked online by Kennedy Jr.’s son, Bobby Kennedy III.
During the call Trump sympathetically discussed Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine stance and the potential of working together in a future administration, should he win the election.
Writing in the New York Times on Monday, Haberman revealed that none other than Carlson, a key Trump camp insider, was behind the call. After months of failed pushing for an alliance between his own independent presidential campaign and Trump’s Republican campaign, Haberman shared that the shooting presented “an opening to connect” and “facilitate a possible endorsement.”
Mr. Carlson loved the idea. Mr. Kennedy was his friend, and for months Mr. Kennedy had been giving the Trump team headaches. The
Trump campaign’s internal polling showed that Mr. Kennedy was draining support from both President Biden and Mr. Trump, but some of Mr. Trump’s advisers believed he posed a bigger threat to their candidate. Donald Trump Jr., in particular, had been trying to find a way to push Mr. Kennedy out of the race, fearing he could hurt his father’s chances, according to two people briefed on private discussions.
Haberman continued:
Just hours after Mr. Trump was shot, Mr. Carlson connected Mr. Kennedy to the former president on a three-way text message, and the two candidates agreed to talk. After Mr. Trump was examined at a hospital in western Pennsylvania, they spoke by phone for nearly half an hour, according to four people with direct knowledge of the discussions. Mr. Trump tried to coax Mr. Kennedy into his camp.
Kennedy Jr. shared similar information to Tucker Carlson in a podcast published roughly a week ago. He dropped out of the race on August 23, backing Trump and earning a position on the Republican transition team.