Kennedy family denounce RFK Jr's endorsement of Trump, call it a 'betrayal'

Multiple members of the famous Kennedy family have denounced Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s endorsement of former US President Donald Trump for the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Elections. The family which is touted as the American political royalty slammed RFJ Jr and called the endorsement a “betrayal”.

On Friday, RFK Jr announced that he was ending his bid for the White House and went on to endorse Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Throughout the presidential race, the Kennedy family has supported the Democratic Party candidates for the 2024 polls. They collectively endorsed US President Joe Biden and after the POTUS announced that he won’t be running for re-election, the family rallied behind the now-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

“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,” said a statement signed by five of the former independent presidential candidate’s siblings.

Kennedy family reiterated support for Harris-Walz campaign

In the statement, the family maintained that they will continue to support Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “We believe in Harris and Walz,” the family averred. “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 further reads.

The statement included signatures from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy and Rory Kennedy. Robert F Kennedy’s grandson Joe Kennedy III also supported the statement shared by the family and wrote “Well said”.

Meanwhile, the former candidate’s cousin Jack Schlossberg said that he has “never been less surprised in my life.” “Been saying it for over a year — RFKjr is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it,” he posted to X. “Kamala Harris is for the people — the easiest decision of all time just got easier,” he added. Schlossberg is the son of US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy and grandson of former US President John F. Kennedy.

Robert Kennedy Jr withdraws from the race. but there is a condition

On Friday, RFK Jr. ended his bid for the presidency. However, he said that he would only remove his name from the ballot in “about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler.” The political scion went on to encourage voters in states where he remain, to continue supporting him.

“These are the principled causes that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw my support to President Trump,” he said during his Friday remarks. “The causes were: Free speech, the war in Ukraine, and the war on our children.” Responding to RFK’s endorsement of Trump, Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said that the vice president is for “any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward.”

“Even if we do not agree on every issue, Kamala Harris knows there is more that unites us than divides us: respect for our rights, public safety, protecting our freedoms, and opportunity for all,” she said in a bid to reach out to the RFK Jr supporters.

With inputs from agencies.