Donald Trump plans to make former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard honorary co-chairs of his presidential transition team.
This comes after RFK Jr. and Gabbard endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid. Both were members of the Democratic Party but left in recent years and became Independents, with Gabbard having more conservative leanings than Kennedy Jr.
RFK Jr. described the new role in an interview with Tucker Carlson posted on X, saying he would “help pick the people who will be running the government.”
RFK Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump on August 24th. Kennedy Jr. ran as an Independent after starting the 2024 election cycle as a Democrat. According to The Hill, his campaign was quite successful for an Independent candidate, with his polling numbers floating in the double digits for most of the election cycle.
Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic Party two years ago after serving in the House of Representatives for Hawaii. Since then, she called the Democrats an “elite cabal of warmongers” and has supported other Republicans. She has also made a podcast. Gabbard endorsed Trump just a few days after RFK Jr., and Trump called her “an amazing person.”
Inside Donald Trump’s transition team
RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard join Donald Trump’s sons and JD Vance on the transition team. A transition team is standard for every newly arriving president to have at their disposal.
As the name suggests, the purpose of a president’s transition team is to help the new president quickly transition into office. The team helps facilitate the speedy transition by quickly implementing the new president’s policies, setting priorities, and appointing new members of the new administration.
Trump’s team is excited about what RFK Jr. and Gabbard can bring and what their support represents. Brian Hughes, a senior advisor for Trump, said in a statement that their help showed support “across partisan lines.”
“We are proud that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard have been added to the Trump/Vance Transition team. We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team as we work to restore America’s greatness.”
Opposition to the idea
Not everyone loves the idea of adding RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to the transition team. Marc Short, a Republican strategist, said, “Doubling down on big-government populists will not energize turnout among traditional conservatives.”
Democrats were also quick to dismiss the move. Alex Floyd, the Democratic Party’s rapid response director, said in a statement, “Rather than focusing on earning the support of hardworking Americans, Trump is more fixated on winning the backing of extremists like Gabbard and RFK Jr.—and they’ll do nothing but weigh down his sinking ship of a campaign.”
