Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday ruled out running for president in 2028, apparently defending himself against accusations by conservative influencer Laura Loomer that he and top aides are quietly preparing for another White House bid as Kennedy runs America's health apparatus.
"The swamp is in full panic mode," Kennedy wrote in a lengthy post on X. "DC lobby shops are laboring fiercely to drive a wedge between President Trump and me, hoping to thwart our team from dismantling the status quo and advancing [Trump's] Make America Healthy Again agenda."
"They're pushing the flat-out lie that I'm running for president in 2028. Let me be clear: I am not running for president in 2028."
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Month event at Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Sept. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
In the post, Kennedy also defended his longtime aide and deputy chief of staff at HHS, Stefanie Spear, whom Loomer accused in a Politico interview this week of trying "to lay the groundwork for a 2028 RFK presidential run."
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In his X post, Kennedy defended Spear, calling her "a fierce, loyal warrior for MAHA who proudly serves in the Trump Administration and works every day to advance President Trump's vision for a healthier, stronger America."
Spear served as press secretary for Kennedy's failed presidential campaign, which ended last August with an endorsement of Trump.
Loomer, a staunch pro-Trump figure, has previously boasted of initiating the firings of government officials she deemed insufficiently loyal to the president. She did not immediately respond publicly to Kennedy's post.