RFK Jr. Denies Reports Steve Bannon Encouraged Him to Run, Says 2024 Will Be ‘Decided By Podcasts’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shot down recent reporting suggesting he was encouraged into a 2024 run by Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon.

CBS News reported in April that Bannon, a former Trump administration advisor, spent months convincing Kennedy Jr. to challenge President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination.

The report played into his critics’ assertions that he is running a spoiler campaign which will benefit the GOP. In a Monday interview with The Atlantic’s John Hendrickson, Kennedy Jr. insisted he will be the 2024 nominee and denied the Bannon connection to his campaign.

“No. I mean, let me put it this way: I never heard any encouragement from him. And I never spoke to him,” Kennedy Jr. said.

He’s managed to bring attention to his campaign through appearances on shows like “The Joe Rogan Experience.” He also recently held a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk and found a Jordan Peterson interview scrubbed by YouTube for violating their vaccine misinformation policies.

The Democrat did admit to appearing on Bannon’s “War Room” podcast multiple times during the Covid pandemic. The two have both been critical of Covid vaccines and lockdown measures taken at the pandemic’s height. 

Bannon did not give as clear of a denial in comments in The Atlantic.

“I don’t want to talk about personal conversations,” he said, adding he was “pleasantly surprised” when Kennedy Jr. entered the race.

The media appearances will continue, according to Kennedy Jr. The Democrat told The Atlantic 2024 will not be decided by rallies, but instead “by podcasts.” 

Kennedy Jr. teased his next podcast appearance could be with Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who has moved his show to Twitter. Carlson's reportedly been holding a behind-the-scenes battle with Fox over the show as he remains under contract with the network despite parting ways. 

“He’s—you know what he’s up to. He’s starting a Twitter … thing. Yeah, I’m going to go on it. They’ve already contacted me,” Kennedy Jr. said.