How Those In RFK Jr. & Trump's Inner Circles Reportedly Feel About Cheryl Hines

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines tied the knot in 2014. There is speculation that Hines cheated on her ex-husband with RFK Jr., but that's not the only strange thing about their relationship. For one thing, Hines was firm that she would not be happy if RFK Jr. and Donald Trump were running mates. However, RFK Jr. dropped out of the 2024 election and endorsed Trump. What's even more awkward is that RFK Jr. and Trump's inner circles are reportedly rooting for the spouses to split. RFK Jr. and political journalist Olivia Nuzzi were allegedly engaged in a non-physical, personal relationship after she wrote a piece on him. It's reported they traded NSFW text messages. After that scandal, Hines was seen not wearing her wedding ring. Insiders for Page Six said some close to RFK Jr. and Trump "hate Cheryl" and want the Nuzzi situation to be what breaks her and her husband up. 

"[Hines] is a diehard liberal and is against [Kennedy's] support for Trump," an insider said. Another source told the outlet it's possible that if Trump wins the election, RFK Jr. would work for him and added, "RFK Jr. would have to move to DC and they don't want [Cheryl] around."

Per the New York Post, an insider said Hines is probably upset about what went down with RFK Jr. and Nuzzi, even though she didn't say anything about it. "I don't imagine her putting up with this," they added. "She has a backbone. She's not a little housewife at home. She is successful financially independent on her own." An additional insider felt a breakup between Hines and RFK Jr. was imminent.

It's unknown what will really happen between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines, but those who know the politician claimed Olivia Nuzzi was the one pursuing him strongly, according to Jessica Reed Kraus' Substack. It's reported that RFK Jr. continually blocked Nuzzi, but she would persistently reach out with other numbers and emails under the guise of an urgent matter. Then, she'd send him inappropriate content that he engaged with for a short time in between the blockings.

Before the Nuzzi news dropped, RFK Jr. came to Hines' defense — after he initially threw her under the bus for his Donald Trump endorsement. Hines received backlash following her husband's endorsement, since it seemed like she played a part in convincing RFK Jr. to align himself with Trump. RFK Jr. later clarified her feelings on Trump with TMZ. 

The Kennedy explained that after the first assassination attempt on Trump in July 2024, he and Hines heard Trump wanted a call with RFK Jr. "She urged me to do that and she did that out of compassion," RFK Jr. said. Later in the interview, RFK Jr. said, "This [has] been a really difficult issue for Cheryl, [it's] the opposite of what she would want to do. She went along with it because she loves me and she wanted to be supportive of me, but it was not something that she ever encouraged. I would say it was her trepidation about this and discomfort with this was, I would say were the dominant feelings." RFK Jr. affirmed Hines is not a Trump supporter, but he expressed his gratitude that she stood by him even though she wasn't happy about it.