WASHINGTON — Multiple members of the Kennedy family denounced Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to endorse former President Donald Trump, calling the move a “betrayal.”
“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.
“We believe in Harris and Walz,” the statement continued. “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 includes signatures from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy and Rory Kennedy.
Joe Kennedy III, a grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, reacted to the statement, sharing it on X and writing that it was “well said.”
Separately, 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.”
Schlossberg is the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy.
Many members of the Kennedy family have been publicly critical of the independent’s presidential bid, instead vocalizing their support for first President Joe Biden and now Harris.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Friday that he would withdraw from the presidential race and back Trump. 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.” He encouraged voters in states where he remains on the ballot to still support 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.”
Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement that the Harris campaign 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 attract Kennedy supporters.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
