Conspiracy theorists believe that former President Donald Trump plans to replace Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) as his running mate
After dropping out of the presidential race on Friday, RFK Jr., who was running as an independent, endorsed Trump's presidential campaign during a rally in Arizona on Sunday.
Many people, especially conspiracy theorists who identify with RFK Jr.'s own fringe beliefs, now believe that the fanfare surrounding the endorsement could lead to Vance being removed from his position as vice presidential nominee.
RFK Jr. came out on stage at a Trump rally with literal fireworks, as the Foo Fighters' "My Hero" played in the background.
"Trump locks the election by throwing out Vance and replacing him with RFK as his VP. Over," one X user said.
A previous comment made by RFK Jr. caught the attention of conspiracy theorists online as well. Back in July, after Trump announced Vance as his running mate, RFK Jr. claimed that the senator was aligned with the so-called Deep State, dubbing it a salute to the CIA.
"I do think RFKjr will replace Vance for VP. Interesting what RFKjr says here," another said, referencing RFK Jr.'s remark.
Many Trump supporters are now openly questioning whether Trump should in fact replace Vance with RFK Jr. in an effort to block any Deep State influence on his administration.
"Do you think that Trump should replace J.D. Vance with RFK Jr. as Vice president?" one popular X user asked.
While there's no evidence that Trump has any plans to appoint RFK Jr. as his new running mate, Vance has proven incredibly unpopular among voters. And although making a replacement at this stage of the race would be politically unwise, people are well aware of Trump's obsession with poll numbers and his image.
"What are the odds that he's offering to knife JD and replace him with RFK? In his mind, it's a business merger..." another user speculated.
Others mocked a post dubbing the duo "the 2024 ticket."
"Imagine ordering donuts so poorly that they start trying to replace you with the brain worms guy," joked one user, referencing a recent Vance viral flub at a doughnut shop.
But as the more conspiratorial elements of Trump's base question whether the replacement will come, most conservatives are choosing to back Vance.
"No. MAGA doesn’t play 'throw your teammate under the bus candidate roulette.' That’s what backstabbing liberals do. We’re loyal," one conservative wrote.
"Vance is a rockstar and brings youth to the ticket," a second argued. "No way, RFK will do well someplace else like investigation the corrupt CDC, USDA and other bloated Government health organizations."
For now, Trump says that he intends to use RFK Jr. to investigate health-related issues. During his rally on Sunday, Trump said his presidency, assuming he wins the 2024 election, will use RFK Jr. and "top experts" to investigate chronic health problems.
RFK Jr., however, has a staggering amount of baggage when it comes to the topic of health. Not including his decades of promoting anti-vaccine rhetoric, the Democrat has been in the news in recent months after it was revealed he once ate a dog, tried to eat a dead bear, and was stricken with a brain-eating worm.
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