New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers admitted he was shocked when independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. approached him about being his potential running mate, but was intrigued after watching former President Donald Trump’s White House stint.
“My thing is [Donald Trump] had four years to do it and didn’t drain the swamp,” Mr. Rodgers said in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson posted Tuesday on X. “And whether he just got scared because of what he learned when he was in there — I think it’s very plausible.”
“But that’s why I was interested when Bobby came to me and said, ‘Would you think about being my running mate?’ And I said, ‘Are you serious? I’m a f—ing football player.’ But I love this country and I’d love to be a part of bringing it back to what she used to be,” Mr. Rodgers said.
Mr. Rodgers told Mr. Carlson that he “definitely thought about” becoming Mr. Kennedy’s vice president because he “love[s] Bobby” and wanted to hear about his ideas.
Mr. Kennedy ultimately wound up choosing tech lawyer and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.
Mr. Kennedy said in March that he was toying with the idea of getting Mr. Rodgers on the presidential ticket with him.
“We want somebody young who’s going to look out for that generation,” Mr. Kennedy said on FOX News Channel’s FOX News @Night at the time. “Aaron Rodgers is battle-tested. He’s stood up. He’s been hammered by the press, stood up for things we believe in.”
“I like that part of his character,” he said. “He’s a critical thinker and I think we need that at the time as you know the rise of A.I. We need people who understand that you cannot always trust authority just because somebody’s in charge.”
Both Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Kennedy are vaccine skeptics, and have received criticism for spreading other conspiracy theories and unconventional beliefs.