Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday that conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a critical driver behind folding him into President Donald Trump’s political movement — and advocated for his position in the administration.
Kirk was the “primary architect” of Kennedy’s “unification with President Trump,” the HHS secretary told Vice President JD Vance during a wide-ranging livestream honoring Kirk, who was shot and killed last week during an event in Utah.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles backed that claim, telling Vance: “Charlie was instrumental in Secretary Kennedy coming to the ticket, and you too.” Since Kirk’s death, the vice president has been outspoken about how he advocated that Trump make him his running mate.
Kirk’s role in uniting Trump with Kennedy’s formidable Make America Health Again operation was not widely known and others such as Kennedy adviser Calley Means have also taken credit for bringing MAGA and MAHA together.
Kirk “knew that there was this group of people we now call MAHA who were out there looking for a home. He found Bobby and introduced Bobby into our world and now he’s the secretary of HHS,” Wiles added.
On the day he dropped his independent campaign and endorsed Trump, Kennedy appeared with Trump during an event hosted by Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA.
Kennedy also warned against attacking social media companies even as many on the right admonish the media giants for their contribution to American polarization. “Ironically, I think Charlie would revolt against that because he hated censorship,” Kennedy said.
He said he viewed Kirk as a “spiritual soulmate.”
Kennedy said Kirk had also advocated for him to be named HHS secretary during the presidential transition, including by calling the president on his behalf and instructing Kennedy on who else to call.
“He understood the uses of power, and he understood what buttons needed to be pushed to move the ball across the goal line,” Kennedy said.
