A consultant working for Robert Kennedy Jr.’s 2024 campaign has set up a website for Kennedy and his potential vice-presidential pick, Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets quarterback known for his vaccine skepticism. This information comes from digital records that Rolling Stone has examined.
Kennedy recently shared with The New York Times that Rodgers was a top choice for his vice president. However, he hinted at a change of plans later, stating, “We have an extraordinary person in mind for VP, but it’s not anyone the media has mentioned.” He plans to reveal his VP pick on March 26.
The serious consideration of Rodgers as a potential VP worried Kennedy’s donors. It would have marked a significant shift for Rodgers, transforming from a beloved Super Bowl champion and Jeopardy guest host to a figure known for promoting conspiracy theories.
Despite Kennedy’s campaign being seen as a long shot, Democrats are concerned his run could impact President Joe Biden’s chances of reelection against former President Donald Trump.
DomainTools revealed that the domain kennedyrodgers.com was registered on March 4, a week before The Times reported Kennedy’s consideration of Rodgers.
Currently, the website doesn’t have a homepage and directs visitors to a standard landing page by GoDaddy.
However, a subdomain of the site, pay.kennedyrodgers.com, was found to accept payments through GoDaddy. A test donation by Rolling Stone showed a receipt with GOP strategist Doug Stafford’s name, a consultant for the RFK Jr. campaign.
The website was taken down after Rolling Stone reached out to Stafford.
Stafford has been actively supporting and defending Rodgers on X (formerly Twitter). He expressed a preference for Rodgers over traditional political figures, even amid reports of Rodgers being on an ayahuasca trip in Costa Rica when news broke of his potential VP nomination.
Stafford teased about the VP announcement location, hinting at Rodgers’ connections to the area due to his college football career at the University of California, Berkeley, and his upbringing in Chico.
Rodgers faced criticism after a CNN report suggested he shared false conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook massacre, a claim Rodgers denied.
Stafford criticized CNN for allegedly lying about Rodgers, expressing shock at the smear attempt.
At a dinner event, Kennedy revealed he’s chosen a different VP candidate, promising supporters they would be pleasantly surprised and fall in love with the pick.