Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are joining former President Donald Trump’s presidential transition team, the campaign said on Tuesday.

What You Need To Know

  • Former President Donald Trump’s presidential transition team has added Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, his campaign said Tuesday

  • Both Kennedy and Gabbard are former Democrats who have become celebrities on the right and endorsed Trump

  • Gabbard, who served in Congress for four terms and ran for president in 2020 as a Democrat, has been helping Trump with debate prep this month; Kennedy partially suspended his suspended his independent presidential campaign last week and backed Trump

  • Democrats panned the move: "For anyone who had concerns about the first Trump administration being too extreme, RFK Jr. being anywhere near a second Trump admin should terrify you"

The move comes just days after Kennedy suspended his independent presidential campaign last week and endorsed Trump and as Gabbard is helping Trump prepare for debating Vice President Kamala Harris.

Both Kennedy and Gabbard are former Democrats who have become celebrities on the right as they’ve embraced conspiratorial and, at times, bigoted views.

“I’ve been asked to go on to the transition team, you know, to help pick the people who will be running the government, and I’m looking forward to that,” Kennedy told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview on Monday.

When Trump introduced Kennedy at his Arizona rally on Friday, the former president said “I think he’s going to have a huge influence on this campaign.”

Gabbard, who served in Congress for four terms and ran for president in 2020 as a Democrat, has been helping Trump with debate prep this month, but officially endorsed him on Monday.

“We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team as we work to restore America’s greatness,” Trump campaign senior advisor Biran Hughes told the New York Times on Tuesday.

The Trump transition team was announced earlier this month, helmed by co-chairs Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick. Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, and the former president’s eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric, are serving as honorary chairs. McMahon is the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment and served in Trump’s first term as the head of the Small Business Administration. Lutnick is a billionaire and longtime Trump donor. 

Responding to the news of Kennedy’s appointment to the transition team, the Democratic National Committee issued a statement from Mary Beth Cahill, who served as chief of staff for Kennedy’s uncle, Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy. Cahill highlighted Kennedy’s recent social media posts promoting the chemtrails conspiracy theory and a recently resurfaced interview with Kennedy’s daughter from 2012 in which she recounted her father once using a chain saw to cut off a whale’s head to bring it home. 

“In the four days since he endorsed Trump, RFK Jr. has spent his time tweeting about chemtrails and dodging questions about illegally sawing off a dead whale's head,” Cahill said. “For anyone who had concerns about the first Trump administration being too extreme, RFK Jr. being anywhere near a second Trump admin should terrify you.”