Los Angeles, California - Nicole Shanahan, the running mate of Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, has confirmed they are considering dropping out of the 2024 race to back far-right Republican Donald Trump.

Shanahan told podcast host Tom Bilyeu that the Kennedy campaign finds itself at a difficult crossroads just weeks away from the November 5 election.

The Silicon Valley attorney said the benefits of staying in the race include the possibility of establishing a new political party, if she and Kennedy win at least 5% of the national vote.

But she also said that continuing their Independent campaign may have a potential downside.

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"We run the risk of a Kamala Harris – Kamala Harris and [Tim] Walz presidency – because we draw votes from Trump, or we draw somehow more votes from Trump," she lamented.

The other option the campaign is considering is to "walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump."

The comments came after Bilyeu asked Shanahan about rumors that Kennedy had been in conversations with both the Trump and Harris campaigns about a possible endorsement in exchange for a Cabinet position in their administrations.

The VP hopeful denied that Kennedy had discussed an endorsement or administration position with Harris' team, labeling such stories "fake news." She said the campaign had reached out to both candidates to share the policy proposals they think would help the country.

Shanahan added that Trump has taken "genuine, sincere interest in our policies around chronic disease."

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"For that reason, I think it behooves us to sit and see if we can actually make some real change, and if that is a unity party, I think that it is something that we absolutely owe to the American public to explore."

"As long as we remain on the ballots, we could win," the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin said. "The question is: is the risk of a Harris-Walz presidency worth us staying in?"

Shanahan added that she would be open to running for California governor in 2026 or to backing another candidate who shares her views, while she supports Kennedy for a role in the US Department of Health and Human Services.