In a striking—albeit panicked—public rebuke, multiple members of the Kennedy family have condemned Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to endorse former President Donald Trump, labeling the move a “betrayal” of the values they hold dear.
In a statement signed by five of Kennedy’s siblings, the family expressed deep disappointment over the former independent presidential candidate’s endorsement of Trump.
“We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise, and national pride,” the statement began, according to NBC News. “Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
The statement was signed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy. Their collective condemnation reflects the broader dismay within the Kennedy family, a political dynasty long associated with the Democratic Party.
Joe Kennedy III, grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, also weighed in, sharing the family’s statement on Twitte) and adding, “Well said.”
Well said. https://t.co/0nYF9rQvzt
— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) August 23, 2024
The disapproval extended to other prominent family members, including Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy. Schlossberg voiced his discontent, writing, “Been saying it for over a year — RFK Jr. is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it. Kamala Harris is for the people — the easiest decision of all time just got easier.”
Schlossberg has been rumored to be looking to enter politics and spoke at the Democratic National Convention.
The Kennedy family’s reaction comes in the wake of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that he would withdraw from the presidential race and back Trump, a move that is a boon for Trump as most polling showed RFK, Jr. taking votes away from the former president.
Full RFK Jr. speech at the Trump Arizona Rally where he implores his supporters to vote for Trump so they together can ‘Make America Healthy Again’:
“We talked about the values and issues that bind us together. One of the issues that he talked about was having safe food and… pic.twitter.com/SaQX4ZRwbs— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) August 24, 2024
Kennedy cited his alignment with Trump on issues such as free speech, the war in Ukraine, and what he described as “the war on our children” as reasons for his endorsement.
The former independent candidate for president also spoke about how Democrats, who claim they’re out to defend democracy, pulled every dirty trick in the book to weaken his campaign and prevent him from gaining the ballot, first in the primary against Biden and then in the general election.
The DNC waged continual legal warfare against both President Trump and myself. pic.twitter.com/LitsoUxmvj
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 24, 2024
The young kennedy demorats aren’t the same quality of the JFK and Robert Kennedy
The new group are the socialist demorats just like the demorat party have become
Hooray more voters for Trump