前总统唐纳德·特朗普多名知情人士告诉美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)，小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪在本月的几天内多次发言，包括共和党全国代表大会期间在密尔沃基举行的一次面对面会议，两位总统候选人讨论了肯尼迪可能参与特朗普第二届政府的方式。
据两名了解谈判情况的人士透露，至少有一个想法是让肯尼迪在可能的特朗普政府下监管卫生与公众服务部。肯尼迪是一名疫苗怀疑论者，经常谈论慢性病的危险。
据一位消息人士透露，在大会周一举行的面对面会议从未达到特朗普和肯尼迪达成协议，让肯尼迪退出竞选，支持前总统，以换取在政府中的一个角色。消息人士称，这是一次“非正式的”、“自由流动的”谈话。
这两个人最初是在特朗普幸存的那个晚上通过电话交谈的暗杀企图在宾夕法尼亚州的一次集会上，一名消息人士告诉ABC新闻，并补充说他们同意下周在密尔沃基通过电话会面。
《华盛顿邮报》首先报道了这些对话的存在。
两名熟悉肯尼迪想法的人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，与特朗普会面的协议源于肯尼迪对国家统一的渴望。
据其中一位消息人士称，肯尼迪在大约一年的时间里一直试图定期与民主党领导人联系，试图讨论如何“让该党回归本源”，但没有成功进行这些对话。
肯尼迪最初于去年竞选民主党提名，后来转向了独立运行十月。
“特朗普总统会见了RFK，他们就这些问题进行了交谈，就像他定期与商界和政界的重要人物进行交谈一样，因为他们都认识到他将成为下一任美国总统，”特朗普发言人丹尼尔·阿尔瓦雷斯在一份声明中告诉美国广播公司新闻。
肯尼迪的发言人没有回应置评请求。
肯尼迪的竞选伙伴妮可·沙纳汉在一份声明中告诉美国广播公司新闻，她知道肯尼迪本月与特朗普的对话，并表示支持。
“我意识到了这一点，并支持美国团结和健康。我们愿意与任何人就解除企业对我们机构的控制进行对话，”她说。
Trump discussed with RFK Jr. potential role in 2nd Trump administration: Sources
Former PresidentDonald Trumpand Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke multiple times in the span of a few days this month, multiple people familiar with the conversations told ABC News, including an in-person meeting in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention where the two presidential candidates discussed ways Kennedy could be involved in a second Trump administration.
At least one idea floated, according to two people with knowledge of the talks, was for Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who speaks often about the perils of chronic disease, to oversee the Health and Human Services Department under a possible Trump administration.
According to one source, the in-person meeting, which took place the Monday of the convention, never reached a point where Trump and Kennedy had a deal in place for Kennedy to exit the race and endorse the former president in exchange for a role in the administration. Rather, it was an "informal," "free flowing" conversation, the source said.
The two men initially spoke by phone on the evening Trump survived anassassination attemptat a Pennsylvania rally, one source told ABC News, adding that they agreed on that phone call to meet in Milwaukee the next week.
The Washington Post first reported the existence of the conversations.
Two people familiar with Kennedy's thinking told ABC News that the agreement to meet with Trump stemmed from Kennedy's desire for national unity.
According to one of the sources, Kennedy has tried to connect with Democratic leaders regularly for roughly a year to try to discuss ways to "bring the party back to its roots," but has not succeeded in having those conversations.
Kennedy, who initially ran for the Democratic nomination last year, pivoted to anindependent runin October.
"President Trump met with RFK and they had a conversation about the issues just as he does regularly with important figures in business and politics because they all recognize he will be the next President of the United States," Trump spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez told ABC News in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Kennedy did not respond to a request for comment.
Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy's running mate, told ABC News in a statement that she was aware of Kennedy's dialogue with Trump this month, and was supportive.
"I was aware of it and support American Unity and health. We are willing to speak with anyone on unwinding the corporate capture of our agencies," she said.
