President Donald Trump has added independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) to his 2024 presidential transition team.
It comes after Kennedy just last Friday suspended his campaign in key swing states and endorsed Trump.
Gabbard and Kennedy will join Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as the 45th president’s running mate Senator JD Vance (R-OH) as “honorary co-chairs” of his transition team, according to a Tuesday report from The New York Times.
The group will aid in Trump’s efforts to fill out his new administration if he wins re-election in November.
Kennedy confirmed the decision during an interview that aired on Monday.
“I’ve been asked to go on the transition team, you know, and to help pick the people who will be running the government.”
Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes told the NYT that the 45th president is pleased to have the two former Democrats on his team.
Hughes said that the campaign was “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.”
Gabbard had previously endorsed Trump in the race against President Joe Biden.
However, Gabbard, a former Democrat 2020 presidential candidate, reiterated that support on Monday.
Gabbard, a U.S. Army veteran, joined Trump to pay her respects to the 13 service members who lost their lives in the botched Biden-Harris administration withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
“I am proud to stand here before you today, whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or an independent, if you love our country as I do, if you cherish peace and freedom as we do, I invite you to join me in doing all we can to save our country and elect President Donald J. Trump and send him back to the White House to do the tough work of saving our country and serving the people,” she said.
Gabbard has long been a harsh critic of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
She accused the DNC of routinely favoring certain candidates while suppressing others.
During the 2016 Democrat primary, she left a position within the DNC in order to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) over Hillary Clinton.
Kennedy said he would remove his name from the ballot in key swing states and encourage his supporters to vote for Trump.
He argued that the Democratic Party had turned its back not only on him but on the voters when they ousted Biden from the 2024 ticket and replaced him with Vice President Kamala Harris without a vote from the people.
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