Robert F. Kennedy Jnr weighs dropping US presidential bid to join up with Donald Trump

In a separate statement on X on Tuesday, Kennedy wrote: “As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.”

Kennedy, the son of the late Democratic politician Robert F. Kennedy, is an environmental advocate who has spread misinformation on vaccines and whose family has denounced his campaign.

He initially sought to challenge US President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination but switched to run as an independent. Biden later dropped out and endorsed Harris, who will accept the nomination at the party’s convention this week.

Kennedy, 70, faces an uphill battle qualifying for the presidential ballot in many states, but he could siphon enough votes away in the tight race between Harris and Trump to have an outsized impact.

Kennedy’s support stood at 4 per cent in an Ipsos poll taken this month.

Trump has sought Kennedy’s support, a phone call leaked in July showed. Shanahan in the interview released on Tuesday said Trump had taken an interest in their healthcare policies, making it worth exploring “a unity party”.

Kennedy’s team has never been in talks with Harris, she added.