Vice President JD Vance advised Senate Republicans against voting “no” on the confirmations of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard.
In an X post on Wednesday, Vance gave a strong warning to Senate Republicans on the fence about voting for two of President Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks, Kennedy for secretary of health and human services and Gabbard for director of national intelligence.
“In their own way, both Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. represent parts of the new coalition in our party. To say they’re unwelcome in the cabinet is to insult those new voters. To reject their confirmation is to reject the idea that President Trump decides his cabinet,” he said.
Vance has sung Kennedy’s and Gabbard’s praises previously.
“My grandmother loved two politicians in her entire life. FDR and RFK. I wish I could see her reaction to RFK’s son and namesake–and let’s be honest, the most authentic to his dad’s legacy–endorsing the people’s president, Donald J. Trump. Historic,” he said in an August X post, speaking after Kennedy endorsed Trump.
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Kennedy’s confirmation hearing was held on Wednesday, while Gabbard’s will be held on Thursday.
Trump’s other most controversial pick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was approved last week in a 51-50 vote, requiring Vance to break the tie.
Gabbard has faced criticism for a 2017 meeting with former Syrian President Bashar Assad, her position that Washington bears some responsibility for the Russian-Ukraine war, and skepticism toward some findings of the U.S. intelligence community.
Criticism toward Kennedy has largely been directed at his skepticism about certain vaccines. Much criticism has come from his own family; his cousin, Caroline Kennedy, sent a letter to the Senate on Tuesday, accusing him of animal abuse, leading other family members to drug addiction, lying, hypocrisy, and more.
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Gabbard and Kennedy Jr. are two of Trump’s most unique Cabinet picks, both being former Democrats. Gabbard ran for president on the Democratic ticket in 2020 on a platform critical of its establishment but ultimately endorsed former President Joe Biden. She grew increasingly disillusioned over Biden’s term, ultimately joining the Republican Party and campaigning for Trump during his 2024 campaign.
Kennedy Jr. originally ran as a Democrat in 2024 before switching to an independent. He dropped out over the summer and threw his support behind Trump.
