Trump so 'obsessed' with RFK Jr. gossip he almost taunted reporter’s ex-fiancé on Truth Social

27 September 2024

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that Ryan Lizza and Olivia Nuzzi are no longer engaged.

The news of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s alleged affair with a journalist reportedly captured former President Donald Trump's attention so much he almost made a post taunting the journalist's former husband-to-be, according to new reports.

In a Friday article for the Daily Beast, Trump is described as being "obsessed" with the news that RFK Jr. — the 70 year-old former independent presidential candidate who is now on Trump's transition team — was sexting with 31 year-old New York Magazine star political correspondent Olivia Nuzzi. RFK Jr. has denied any affair took place, and Nuzzi has insisted their relationship was never "physical," though she remains on leave from New York.

In the wake of Nuzzi's alleged racy texts with RFK Jr. (who is married to Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines), her fiancé, Politico chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza, broke off their engagement, ending their roughly two-year relationship. Puck News reported that Trump almost taunted Lizza in a post to his Truth Social account, which he ultimately refrained from publishing.

"I’m told that Trump almost posted to Truth Social, his social media platform, 'My condolences to Ryan Lizza…' But ultimately, he demonstrated better judgment, realizing it wouldn’t help his newest surrogate, RFK Jr," Puck's Tara Palmeri wrote.

A Vanity Fair article from Thursday described a call in which Lizza confronted RFK Jr. about the alleged affair, with the publication reporting that the call became "heated" at times. Lizza has so far not publicly commented on the affair aside from referring to Nuzzi as his "former fianceé" in Politico Playbook, which he co-authors.

Top Trump ally Corey Lewandowski reportedly didn't exercise the same level of discretion in a post of his own, who tweeted and later deleted a post about the affair in which he shared reporter Oliver Darcy's article exposing the news. Mediaite reported that it wasn't immediately clear whether Lewandowski was ordered to take down the post by the Trump campaign, or if he did so of his own volition.

According to Puck's report, Trump followed up with RFK Jr. to ask about the details of the relationship, and if Nuzzi ever went beyond sending what have been described as "demure" nude photographs. The outlet reported that "a source with direct knowledge" said Kennedy "denied the whole thing."

“He said he hardly knows her," the source said. "He said he met her one time.”

The scion of the Kennedy dynasty has maintained that he only had one in-person encounter with Nuzzi, when she interviewed him for a story he later described as a "hit piece." An internal review of Nuzzi's reporting by New York Magazine reportedly found "no evidence of bias" in her coverage, though Vanity Fair reported that several of her colleagues say her continued employment at the outlet is "untenable."

Click here to read the Beast's report. Vanity Fair's report can be read in full by clicking here. The Puck report can be read here (subscriptions required).

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