Donald Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. exposes the campaign's QAnon strategy

Is Donald Trump wishing he could replace Sen. JD Vance of Ohio with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his running mate?

That question jumped from the world of social media jokes to a serious inquiry on Monday, when the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and former presidential candidate told Tucker Carlson that he's been hired to "pick the people who will be running the government" if Trump gets elected in November. Since Kennedy dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, the GOP candidate has fully embraced the black sheep of the famous Democratic clan. Trump used to sneer that Kennedy was a "Radical Left Democrat," which was false, and that he's the "dumbest member" of the Kennedy clan, which is fair enough. After Kennedy endorsed him, however, Trump hugged Kennedy and declared, "He's a great guy, respected by everybody." (Fact check: Kennedy isn't even respected by his family members, who are blanketing the airwaves to say his behavior is "obscene" and a betrayal of his father, a New York senator and presidential candidate who was assassinated in 1968.)

The imagery of the two men together spread far and wide, to the point where it seems that Kennedy is Trump's running mate — not Vance.

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign seems fine with this, since Kennedy's presence only proves the "weird" accusations the campaign has blasted onto the Trump ticket. "In the four days since he endorsed Trump, RFK Jr. has spent his time tweeting about chemtrails and dodging questions about illegally sawing off a dead whale's head," DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill said in a statement. "Normal candidates would run from a surrogate like this, but desperate men do desperate things."

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Trump has a stench of desperation to him, as Harris rises in the polls. Still, it's not initially clear what an alliance with Kennedy does for Trump. Although he and Vance keep insisting they're "normal" and "not weird," here they are, lavishing attention on a man who claimed to have a brain worm and by his own account once dumped a dead bear cub in Central Park. The choice is yet another indicator of how much the Trump campaign's strategy depends on appealing to fringe constituencies in hopes that they turn out just enough creeps and conspiracy theorists to eke out a win in the swing states.

Kennedy doesn't just connect with the anti-vaccine community. He likely has special appeal to a group that isn't mentioned as much in the mainstream media anymore, but whose bizarre ideas still hold power over millions: QAnon, a cult-like conspiracy community that believes Trump is a savior sent to stop an imaginary cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles.

"QAnon has effectively shed its branding," explained journalist Jesselyn Cook. Her recently published "The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family" tracks the havoc this conspiracy theory is causing in the lives of ordinary Americans. While the name "QAnon" is not used by its followers much anymore, the "core conspiracy theories have remarkable staying power," she added. "They're repeated by major political influencers, right-wing media stars and elected officials, and they appeal even to everyday people who would never consider themselves to be affiliated with QAnon." Cook pointed to data from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) that shows "tens of millions of Americans believe that the government, media and financial worlds are controlled by Satan-worshiping pedophiles."

A popular belief in QAnon circles is that John F. Kennedy Jr., who was Robert Kennedy's first cousin, did not actually die in a 1999 plane crash, but has been in hiding and will emerge as Trump's running mate. Many have decided that Vince Fusca, a random Trump follower, is the dead son of President John F. Kennedy.

But why should they bother propping up this man who looks nothing like a Kennedy, when they have a verifiable Kennedy on board? Sure, he's merely the son of the assassinated candidate, not the assassinated president, but still. The photos of RFK Jr. and Trump standing together are so close to what many QAnoners have long imagined. They're not going to balk because he's the "wrong" Kennedy son.

"Trump’s alliance with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seems to be part of a pattern of Trump and his allies associating with those who spread conspiracy theories," Alex Kaplan of Media Matters told Salon. "Trump has increasingly amplified accounts that have promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory, doing so hundreds of times, and some of his advisers and associates have connected with those conspiracy theorists as well. It also speaks to how some conspiracy theory movements, like RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine movement, the election denial movement and the QAnon community, are now working more closely together.”

On Monday, Kennedy offered a perfect example. In response to a conspiracy theorist yelling about "chemtrails" on Twitter, Kennedy replied, "We're going to stop this crime." The account's handle — "@BGatesIsaPyscho" — is a QAnon reference and the account heavily promotes the main QAnon theory that the world is secretly run by Satan-worshipping pedophiles. BGatesIsaPyscho has over half a million followers.

There's been a good deal of media discussion about Americans who voted for Joe Biden in 2020, but are leaning toward Trump now. Those numbers are relatively small but could be enough to make a difference in tight swing-state elections if Harris can't win them back. A lot of theories abound to explain this drift, from inflation to gender relations. What is under-discussed, however, is the role of conspiracy theories like QAnon. Most QAnoners are white conservatives, but in recent years, QAnon has sucked in a more diverse group of people. In her book, Cook tells the stories of Bay Area Bernie Sanders supporters, an elderly Democrat and a Black single mother who were pulled into MAGA after being radicalized by QAnon. PRRI data reflects this, showing that the number of Democrats espousing QAnon beliefs doubled after Trump left office, from 7% in 2021 to 14% in late 2023. Harris' rise in the polls, however, suggests she may be starting to get some of the drifters back.

To be sure, Trump isn't short on options. Huge numbers of voters who were down on Biden are telling pollsters they like Harris, especially younger voters, women and people of color. Most of these people will not be dissuaded from voting for her by ludicrous conspiracy theories, but if even a small percentage could be, that might flip major swing states to Trump. It's not like he's got better ideas. These voters don't like his real-world policies. The best Trump can hope for is to distract enough of them long enough that they forget or ignore his dangerous real-life conspiracies, like Project 2025.