Kennedy Family Members Slammed RFK Jr.'s Presidential Hopes
Given that the Kennedys have been one of the biggest names in politics for more than half a century, running for office is almost a foregone conclusion for anyone born into the famous family. However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to run for president didn't garner much support from his nearest and dearest.
RFK Jr. thought he'd be a great independent candidate and could give Joe Biden and Donald Trump a run for their money in the November 2024 election. However, according to NBC News, more than a dozen of his family members chose to shun RFK Jr.'s campaign and endorse Biden over their own flesh and blood for the highest office in the land.
The Kennedy family has completely overlooked RFK Jr. and his running mate Nicole Shanahan, instead insisting that keeping Biden in the White House is the only way to go. "Bobby knows that we stand by him as a family member, while also being able to clearly communicate that his candidacy poses a risk to the country that we love," explained Joseph Kennedy III.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s family isn't afraid to speak out against his views
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. isn't just wading into politics out of nowhere. The son of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, he began his career as an environmental lawyer in 1985 and made a name for himself by fighting for environmental and humans rights causes over the next three decades. However, his relationship with his family has been complicated over the years, and they haven't been shy about calling him out on his problematic behavior.
Back in 2019, RFK Jr's siblings — sister Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and brother Joseph P. Kennedy II — and his niece, Maeve Kennedy McKean, hit out at RFK Jr. in a piece for Politico Magazine, in which they said, "[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] has helped to spread dangerous misinformation over social media and is complicit in sowing distrust of the science behind vaccines ... We stand behind him in his ongoing fight to protect our environment. However, on vaccines he is wrong." Since then, he's downplayed the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, per CNN, and told Reuters that he has doubts about the measles vaccine. Back in 2022, RFK Jr. even compared vaccine mandates in the U.S. to Nazi Germany. Needless to say, the Kennedys don't agree with that stance — and it appears to be a big reason they don't want him in the White House.
Jack Schlossberg, JFK's grandson, has been especially vocal about his lack of support
John F. Kennedy's grandson and RFK Jr.'s cousin, Jack Schlossberg, has been particularly vocal about slamming his cousin's decision to run for president since RFK Jr. first announced he'd be doing so. As a huge supporter of Joe Biden, Schlossberg finds RFK Jr. to be an "embarrassment" to the family, according to an Instagram post he made in July 2023, and believes voting in line with the Democratic party is the best way forward.
The bad blood between the cousins appears to be intense, potentially based on more than political ideology. Schlossberg didn't stop with his attacks on RFK Jr. after denouncing his political campaign. He's also posted numerous parodies on social media in which he speaks as different characters and calls out RFK Jr.'s policies and beliefs. One character, a southern man named Wade, urged people to vote for Biden and to not even consider RFK Jr. as a viable candidate. "I think that behavior matters. And I think the example we set for our children matters," he said. Schlossberg-as-Wade also referred to his cousin as "Trump 2.0" and said he'd be "rippin' everybody down" if he became president.
While Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will no doubt have his voter base, albeit small, one thing's for sure: His family members aren't part of it.