Call this The Art of the Deal II -- Kamala's Blues. 

Just a couple of hours after Robert Kennedy's running mate Nicole Shanahan publicly suggested an alliance with Donald Trump, the GOP nominee signaled his interest in pursuing it. CNN reporter Kristen Holmes caught up with Trump on the campaign trail in Michigan, where he expressed openness to appointing RFK to his next administration:

“I like him, and I respect him,” Trump told CNN’s Kristen Holmes in an interview after a campaign stop in Michigan.

“He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him for a very long time,” the Republican presidential nominee said. “I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it.” ...

Asked if he would consider appointing Kennedy to a role in his administration if he wins in November, Trump said he “probably would.”

“I like him a lot. I respect him a lot,” Trump said. “I probably would, if something like that would happen. He’s a very different kind of a guy — a very smart guy. And, yeah, I would be honored by that endorsement, certainly.”

Well well well. Most interesting of all, of course, is having a presidential nominee actually answer substantive questions on the campaign trail. Trump has always done that, of course, but it's less common among all nominees than it has been in cycles past ... IYKWIMAITYD.

I predicted earlier that cutting a deal would be almost irresistible for Trump, but this one could have some real interesting effects. Eventually, of course, Trump hopes an alliance will pull RFK's Trump-skeptical voters back to the GOP. But first off, it's the kind of spectacular move that could help counter the effects of the Democrat switcheroo. It would be somewhat unprecedented, to my recollection, especially at this stage of the campaign. It also offers at least some credibility to Trump's attempts to paint himself as a unifier, assuming he can pull this off. 

But most of all, the timing is exquisite. It comes right in the middle of the Democrat lovefest in Chicago and will necessarily distract from its careful staging and presumably surprise-free PR effort. Just having this in the headlines shifts the center of gravity in election coverage at the very moment that Democrats hoped to monopolize it. In that sense, Trump has already won a news cycle, and maybe the next few cycles depending on how this unfolds. 

Will the two actually clinch a deal for an endorsement and RFK's exit? It depends on what Kennedy and Shanahan want in return. I'd hope it's not the HHS spot, given Kennedy's anti-vaxx history as well as on abortion, but he could probably get plugged in where he can't do a lot of harm (Commerce or Transportation, maybe?). Shanahan may not rate a Cabinet post, but she might be a good connection to have to Silicon Valley. 

Right now, it looks like everyone benefits from cutting a deal except Harris, so stay tuned. If they're really smart, they'll talk in the press tomorrow too and then cut a deal late on Thursday afternoon. That will take the gloss off of the Kamala Joyfest in Chicago.