DeSantis rejects RFK Jr. as VP, hints at involving him against CDC, FDA.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Rejects Idea of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Vice President
Florida Governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis firmly dismissed the notion of selecting Democrat contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his running mate if he secures the 2024 Republican nomination.
DeSantis, who entered the race earlier this year, expressed his opposition to a DeSantis/Kennedy Jr. ticket during an interview with Outkick’s Clay Travis, despite Kennedy Jr.’s growing popularity among some conservative circles.
Kennedy Jr., the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, officially launched his 2024 Democratic presidential campaign in April. He has vowed to dismantle the merger of state and corporate power, gaining attention for his stance against vaccines and his criticism of the government’s handling of the COVID pandemic.
However, despite their differing political affiliations, DeSantis revealed that he agrees wholeheartedly with Kennedy’s views on Dr. Anthony Fauci and the corruption within the health bureaucracy. These are issues that both candidates openly discuss in their respective campaigns.
“Here’s the issue: I’m aligned with him on [former presidential medical adviser Dr. Anthony] Fauci, the corruption, and the health bureaucracy — 100 percent,” DeSantis stated. “But, at the end of the day, he’s more liberal, very liberal on some. I mean, he used to say, I don’t know if he still believes this, that if you deny climate change, you should go to jail, things like that. So, it’s like conservative voters, they would want those positions flushed out. He opposed the affirmative action ruling [that said] you can’t racially discriminate … he would have wanted that to remain. So I just think at the end of the day, you need somebody that’s going to reflect the values of the broad coalition.”
“Yes, the medical stuff — I’m very good on that. So that does appeal to me, but there’s a whole host of other things that he’d probably be out of step with.”
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis shoots down the idea of having Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. be his vice-presidential pick.
There also seems to be the notion that he suggested RFK Jr. could lead the CDC or FDA but that’s not what the transcript suggests:
CLAY… pic.twitter.com/Huu8m96XsB
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) July 26, 2023
Despite his rejection of Kennedy Jr. as a potential vice president, DeSantis did entertain the idea of appointing him to a top federal health agency.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
“If you’re president, sic him on the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] if he’d be willing to serve. Or sic him on CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention],” DeSantis suggested. ”But in terms of being veep, there’s 70% of the issues that he may be averse to our base on, you know, that just creates an issue.”
In recent months, DeSantis has been vocal in his criticism of federal agencies, particularly targeting the CDC for imposing mandates on U.S. citizens during the height of the pandemic.
DeSantis reportedly met with Kennedy Jr. during the COVID pandemic and strongly criticized the federal government’s response as “catastrophic,” suggesting that complete dismantling of certain institutions might not be severe enough.
“There was a report that — I had spoken with Bobby Kennedy Jr., and he had said that ‘the governor said that you know, that we need to burn to the ground the CDC’ and all these things,” DeSantis clarified.
“And I just want to be very clear, full disclosure,” DeSantis continued. “I was not that kind to CDC and NIH and any of those [agencies]. Just for the record, just so your viewers don’t think I’m going soft, but I can’t think of a more catastrophic response than how this country responded to COVID, particularly at the federal level.”
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...