Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s siblings expressed strong disapproval of his choice to run as an Independent candidate in the upcoming presidential election, calling the move “dangerous” and “perilous.” Kennedy’s widely discussed announcement to switch tickets from Democratic to Independent is seen as a potential threat to President Joe Biden’s reelection bid in a likely close rematch against former President Donald Trump, some of whose allies have also been concerned over the impact of Kennedy’s Independent run.
“The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country,” said siblings Rory Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. In a brutal rebuke of their brother, who often quotes his late father, Robert F. Kennedy, in his speeches, they said Bobby “does not share the same values, vision or judgment.”
“We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous to our country,” concluded the Kennedys. The statement was posted on X at a time when RFK, Jr. was still delivering his announcement at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
RFK, Jr., 69, is the third of 11 children born to Robert F. Kennedy, a former senator who also served as U.S. attorney general, and Ethel Kennedy. He is also the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.
The next day, Kennedy spoke to Fox & Friends about how “painful” it was for him to leave the party that his extended clan was historically a part of. “Leaving the party of my family is very, very difficult for me. But it was a choice, [and] I didn’t feel that I had a choice. And I feel it’s the right thing right now because we’re seeing that it’s the same corporate donors that control both parties, and the parties are in paralysis.”
Kennedy has been the black sheep in his family for quite a while, mainly because of his questioning of vaccine safety and his advocacy for more rigorous trials and transparency, which his siblings viewed as “wrong.” Kennedy’s “rift” with family and friends was exacerbated during the Covid years, when he was outspoken about the safety issues with Covid inoculations and Covid vaccine mandates.
Since entering the presidential race this April, Kennedy has been occasionally asked about some family members not endorsing him.
When asked about the lack of approval from his own family, Kennedy usually shots back at the interviewer, “Does your family agree with everything that you’re saying?” before going on to explain that he and his siblings grew up being comfortable openly arguing and disagreeing, which never prevented them from being united by love and respect.
Others reacting to RFK, Jr.’s Monday announcement were Republicans.
“Voters should not be deceived by anyone who pretends to have conservative values,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told the Associated Press, calling Kennedy’s campaign “nothing more than a vanity project for a liberal Kennedy looking to cash in on his family’s name.”
Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), slammed Kennedy for being “a Democrat in Independent’s clothing.”
“RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.)] tax hikes — he is your typical elitist liberal and voters won’t be fooled,” McDaniel wrote.
As reported by the Associated Press, no big-name Democrats have reacted to the new challenger to Biden.
In the meantime, a SuperPAC affiliated with the Kennedy campaign reported an influx of $11 million in one day following the Monday announcement.
