RFK Jr. headlines Trump’s team of spin-room surrogates at debate

PHILADELPHIA — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to get a run as a top surrogate for Donald Trump in the post-debate spin room after the Republican faces off for the first time with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Mr. Kennedy, the scion of the nation’s most famous Democratic political family, is among an army of surrogates that the Trump campaign has deployed to the first — and potentially last — debate between Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris.

Brian Hughes, a Trump campaign spokesperson, said it speaks volumes that Mr. Kennedy and former Democrat Rep Tulsi Gabbard felt “so disaffected” and “abused” by the Democratic Party that they not only endorsed Mr. Trump but felt the need to be here on Mr. Trump’s behalf.

“It tells you something really important about what the modern Democrat Party is,” Mr. Hughes said. “Robert F Kennedy Jr. being here for President Trump is a really big deal. It speaks to how President Trump wants to unify the nation.”

Democrats see it differently.

Crooked Media reported that the Democratic National Committee plans to run an ad touting Mr. Kennedy’s past warnings about a Trump presidency and saying the Republican “doesn’t deserve another chance.”

“We’re premiering a new video featuring the ’weirdest guy in [Trump’s] spin room entourage’ (and that’s saying something),” DNC spokesman Matt Coridoni said on X.

Mr. Kennedy’s evolution from Trump critic to Trump surrogate has been a very public journey over the last year.

He briefly ran for the Democratic presidential nomination but switched gears to run as an independent after complaining that the party establishment was trying to snuff out his bid.

Mr. Kennedy announced his Independent bid at nearby Independence Mall in Philadelphia on Oct. 9, 2023.

But that also flamed out. He once again blamed Democrats for trying to sabotage his bid, including by making it hard for him to qualify for state ballots.

Democrats are now fighting to keep him on the ballot in key battleground states, betting he could siphon support away from Mr. Trump.

Since crashing on the political scene, Mr. Trump has shown a penchant for assembling unique surrogate squads.

The Trump entourage at his 2016 debate with Hillary Clinton in New York included legendary college basketball coach Bob Knight, boxing promoter Don King and unconventional university President Jerry Falwell Jr.

Mr. Trump in 2024 has a deep bench of surrogates to draw from.

That was displayed during his first debate in Atlanta, where the spin room before his first showdown with Mr. Biden — and even more so after — was filled with his allies.

On Tuesday. Kennedy and Ms. Gabbard will join Rep. Byron Daniels of Florida, Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Carolina.

Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Tom Cotton of Alabama are also present.

On the other side of the field, the Harris team includes Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Rep. Ted Lieu of California.