Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Photo:John Lamparski/Getty
John Lamparski/Getty
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.announced on Monday he will berunning as an independent candidate in the 2024 presidential race— and almost immediately, four of his siblings denounced his candidacy.
RFK Jr. is the third of 11 children born to the late U.S. Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy. He is the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy, 69, announced his party switch from Democrat to Independent at a rally in Philadelphia on Monday, as he stood before signs reading “Kennedy 2024: Declare Your Independence.”
The announcement comes after RFK Jr. was met with sagging poll numbers among Democratic voters since helaunched his 2024 presidential campaignin April.
Known for spoutingdebunked misinformationabout COVID-19 and vaccinations, RFK Jr. has in recent months made headlines forechoing antisemitic discoursethat Jews engineered and spread the COVID-19 virus.
The candidate has also drawn attention for butting heads with his own family members, many of whom are close with the Biden family.
In his own official campaign launch, RFK Jr. himself acknowledged that his family members have “long personal relationships” with President Biden.
“My whole family including myself have long personal relationships with President Biden … and many of themjust plain disagree with meon issues like censorship and war and public health,” Kennedy said at the time. “They are entitled to their beliefs…and I love them back.”
Siblings Kerry Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Mike Pont/Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Images
More recently,Jack Schlossberg— the grandson of JFK and son ofCaroline Kennedy—slammed him on Instagram, calling RFK Jr.’s candidacy “an embarrassment.”
Schlossberg, a 30-year-old attorney, made headlines for the video he posted in May, in which he says: “President John F. Kennedy is my grandfather and his legacy is important. It’s about a lot more thanCamelotandconspiracy theories. It’s about public service and courage. It’s about civil rights,the Cuban missile crisis, andlanding a man on the moon.”
source: people.com
