Donald Trump has added Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, both former Democrats, to his presidential transition team to broaden his appeal. This move could attract criticism due to their controversial views but underscores Trump’s strategy of crossing partisan lines to gain support.
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By Stephanie Lai
Donald Trump is adding Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to his presidential transition team, spotlighting two former Democrats who have endorsed his campaign in a bid to widen his electoral appeal in a close race with Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team as we work to restore America’s greatness,” Brian Hughes, a Trump campaign spokesman, said in a statement Tuesday, casting the move as a sign of how the Republican nominee’s support is expanding “across partisan lines.”
By appointing Kennedy, a prominent vaccine skeptic, and Gabbard, who accused the US government of spying on her, Trump risks reinforcing criticism that he is embracing figures espousing fringe or extreme views in his bid to return to power.
The move was first reported by the New York Times.
Kennedy, the scion of an iconic Democratic political family, suspended his independent presidential campaign last week and endorsed Trump. Kennedy said the Republican nominee had offered him a position in a future administration, which would give him a foothold for his agenda.
Earlier: Kennedy Backs Trump, Suspends Outsider Presidential Campaign
An environmental lawyer who once espoused mainstream Democratic views, Kennedy’s platform now touts vaccine skepticism and an isolationist foreign policy. He initially ran for president as a Democrat before shifting to an independent and saw his support, which once had him polling as high as 20% in a three-way race, slide after President Joe Biden exited the 2024 contest.
Gabbard, a former US Representative from Hawaii, ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 before dropping out and endorsing Biden. In 2022, however, she said she was leaving the Democratic Party, accusing the party of being “under the complete control of an elitist cabal” and of stoking “anti-white racism.”
Earlier this month, Trump tapped Cantor Fitzgerald LP chief executive officer Howard Lutnick and World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon to jointly chair his presidential transition team. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, and two of the former president’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr., are serving as honorary co-chairs.
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