By Samuel Short August 24, 2024 at 8:23am
The election cycle has been shaken up by Friday’s news of Robert F Kennedy Jr. endorsing former President Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency. He is the lone Kennedy in that decision as his siblings are now speaking out against him.
Kennedy – the nephew of the 35th President John F Kennedy – comes from a family of lifelong Democrats.
Until Friday’s news of his endorsement of Trump, Kennedy had his own presidential aspirations opting to run as an independent.
While many on the right welcomed his decision as he appeared on stage to give remarks alongside Trump in Glendale, Arizona on Friday, there were predictably prominent voices in politics who were less than thrilled with his decision.
While that’s to be expected, the most egregious instance of his denunciation came from his brothers and sisters.
Prior to his appearance with Trump in Glendale, but after Kennedy’s own address via X, his sister Kerry Kennedy posted her own written statement via X calling RFK Jr.’s decision, “a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.”
I am sharing a personal statement that my family and I have made in response to my brother’s announcement. pic.twitter.com/j7vTTabNYZ
— Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) August 23, 2024
While giving her own apparent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s ticket, she seemingly tried to make her own brother feel as bad as possible in ostracizing him for his decision, calling it, “a sad ending to a sad story.”
Will RFK Jr.’s endorsement help Trump win swing states?
It was disheartening to see that four of RFK Jr.’s other siblings had approved her words.
It did not take long for the responses to come rolling in as Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway remarked, “What a vile statement from you and your family.”
What a vile statement from you and your family. On the other hand, your brother’s speech was inspirational.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 23, 2024
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles responded asking, “What is wrong with you people?’
Your brother took a principled (not to mention correct) stand with which you disagreed, so you saw fit to disavow him publicly. What is wrong with you people? https://t.co/jiprDyBO6p
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) August 23, 2024
As Knowles mentions, RFK Jr. stood on principle while seeing his family’s party drifting away.
His siblings chose partisanship to a campaign no self-respecting American in JFK’s time – Kennedy or otherwise – would ever support.
Family members being politically at odds is the norm as many of us have someone we see at Thanksgiving or Christmas who we prepared to trade barbs with over current events.
Ultimately, we still love them and accept them.
The Kennedys have gone well beyond that.
This statement was concocted to put a knife in RFK Jr.’s heart by invoking the names of his slain father and uncle.
Hopefully he knows that millions of Americans still love him and welcome his decision.
Sam Short is an Instructor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London.
