Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday responded to criticism from members of his family over his support for former President Donald Trump.
Last week, Kennedy announced he would be suspending his presidential campaign but would remain on the ballot in states that wouldn’t be competitive for either Trump or the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, Vice President Kamala Harris. He then appeared alongside Trump at an Arizona rally after announcing he would be endorsing the former president.
“You know, my family is at the center of the Democratic Party. I have members of my family that are working for the Biden administration. [President Joe] Biden has a bust of my father behind him at the Oval Office, and he’s been a family friend for many years,” Kennedy said in response.
Referencing the letter, he said that “they’re troubled by my decisions” but “I love my family.”
“I feel like we were raised in a milieu where we were encouraged to debate each other, and debate ferociously and passionately about things and still love each other,” he added. “They’re free to take their positions on these issues. There are many, many members of my family working at my campaign and who are supporting me.”
He added that his family members “all need to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other.”
In a public letter after Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump last week, five of his siblings expressed their support for Harris and running mate Tim Walz, saying their brother has contravened the storied political family’s principles.
“We believe in Harris and Walz,” they said, adding, “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.”
Previously, members of the Kennedy clan, including some of his siblings, publicly disagreed with their brother’s presidential candidacy and have also been critical about his comments on childhood vaccines. When Kennedy switched his candidacy from Democratic to independent in October of last year, several of his family members were similarly critical.
Following an announcement on Aug. 23 that he would be backing Trump, Kennedy said that some in his personal life would be disappointed by his decision.
“This decision is agonizing for me because of the difficulties it causes my wife and my children and my friends,” he said. “But I have the certainty that this is what I’m meant to do, and that certainty gives me internal peace, even in storms.”
He also alleged that the Democratic National Committee has waged “continued legal war” against his campaign and Trump’s before outlining his reasons for backing the former president. He listed freedom of speech, the Ukraine-Russia war, and the “war on our children” as reasons for his switch to Trump.
“They have accomplished feats that were said to be impossible. They have gathered over a million signatures, more than any candidate in history, and have achieved ballot access across the country despite the roadblocks and lawsuits that have been brought against them for the sole purpose of keeping Bobby off of the ballots so no one would even have the opportunity to vote for him,” she added.
