Some vocal supporters of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign are also the people who have worked to elect Donald Trump: the former president’s own advisers, past and present. They've said that Kennedy is “doing a great service to our country,” praised him for having “a lot of views that are ... very beneficial,” claimed that he's “speaking truth to power,” and — tellingly — predicted that his candidacy will help “soften Joe Biden up for his defeat by Donald Trump.”

The Trump advisers’ support for Kennedy echoes the enthusiastic reception given to him by Trump-supporting media figures, including Alex Jones, Jesse Watters, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham. 

Rolling Stone’s Adam Rawnsley and Asawin Suebsaeng recently reported that according to sources at Fox News, “some higher-ups have privately discussed how much they value not just interviewing Kennedy on the network, but featuring segment after segment about his candidacy and his unexpected poll numbers in the 2024 Democratic field. ‘Management loves RFK [Jr.] coverage because it makes Biden look weak. You can expect a lot of it,’ the Fox producer says.” 

Trump himself has praised Kennedy, including in a recent remark that “he’s a very good man and his heart is in the right place and he’s doing really well!” 

Over the years, Kennedy has aligned himself with QAnon conspiracy theorists, pro-Trump figures, and COVID-19 conspiracy theorists like himself. Children’s Health Defense, the group he founded, has also reached out to neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and QAnon users on the far-right platform Gab. 

Roger Stone: “He's a friend of mine … I think it will help, in the end, soften Joe Biden up for his defeat by Donald Trump” 

Roger Stone is a conspiracy theorist who was pardoned by Trump in 2020 after he was found guilty of committing various felonies. He has a decades-long relationship with the former president, which has included advising his 2016 campaign (he is now an unofficial adviser to Trump). He has repeatedly praised Kennedy and said he views the Democratic candidate as a tool to elect Trump. 

During an April 5 guest interview, Stone reacted to the news that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was announcing his presidential bid by stating, “I kind of knew this was in the works because, well, nothing happens in the swamp that I don’t know about.” He then described himself as “a great admirer of Robert Kennedy,” explaining: “He's a friend of mine … If I were a Democrat, I'd certainly vote for him. If I had any money, I'd send him a contribution, but I don't. But I think he is a great American. He's a man of enormous courage.” He then added, “I think it will help, in the end, soften Joe Biden up for his defeat by Donald Trump in the general election." 

Stone also said on his April 7 show: “I believe that his candidacy may serve the purpose of softening Joe Biden, or whoever the Democratic nominee is, for the candidacy and defeat by the man who will clearly be, no matter what the courts do, the Republican nominee for president, Donald J. Trump.” 

The Trump ally has continually praised Kennedy throughout his run, even floating him as a running mate for Trump. 

More recently, he said during a June 27 appearance on One America News that Kennedy is “a truth teller” and claimed that “he resonates, I think, with the old Democratic party that was an anti-communist, pro-capitalist, patriotic party. I still think he reverberates with some of the older remnants of that party.” 

During a June 27 appearance on the QAnon-supporting network American Media Periscope, he said: “Robert Kennedy has a historic opportunity because he's compelling, he has a real message, and despite the fact that they're trying to kneecap him, his poll numbers are increasingly impressive. Which shows that the alternative media strategy is working even as we speak.” 

Michael Flynn said he is “a fan of Bobby Kennedy” and has “gotten to know him a little bit”; “He actually has a lot of views that are actually, I think, very beneficial”

Mike Flynn is a QAnon conspiracy theorist and far-right figure who served as Trump’s national security adviser. Trump later pardoned him after Flynn twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Trump has told Flynn that he will have a role in his administration if he wins. 

While appearing on the April 6 edition of the QAnon program Making Sense of the Madness, Flynn said: “I am a fan of Bobby Kennedy … I actually think I have a lot in common with him because I’m a former Democrat.” He added that he has “gotten to know him a little bit.” He later added: “He actually has a lot of views that are actually, I think, very beneficial across the board.” 

Flynn also praised him on Twitter, writing in response to Kennedy’s claim of being censored by ABC: “I am really starting to like this presidential candidate’s attitude.” 

Christina Bobb: “I think RFK Jr. is doing a great service to our country … I'm excited.” 

Bobb is an attorney working on Trump’s 2024 campaign. She is also an election denier who previously worked for One America News. During a May 2 appearance on Making Sense of the Madness, Bobb said:

Steve Bannon: “He’s speaking truth to power”

Bannon was a senior official in Trump’s 2016 campaign and in the White House. Trump later pardoned him over his role in the “We Build the Wall” scheme. 

As Media Matters previously documented, Bannon has spent years building up Kennedy and promoting his conspiracy theories. Since Kennedy’s entry into the race, Bannon has repeatedly praised his campaign, including by stating, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign is getting traction for one reason: He’s speaking truth to power.”

CBS News’ Robert Costa wrote in April, “Per several people familiar, Steve Bannon had been encouraging this for months and believes RFK Jr. could be both a useful chaos agent in 2024 race and a big name who could help stoke anti-vax sentiment around the country.”