Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is hoping his endorsement of former President Donald Trump does not prevent members of his family who have publicly supported Vice President Kamala Harris from still sharing familial love.
The independent presidential candidate suspended his campaign in several key battleground states and offered his endorsement to Trump on Friday. After Kennedy’s announcement, four of his family members called his endorsement a “betrayal” of the family’s values.
“We believe in Harris and Walz. Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear,” Kerry Kennedy said in a statement, co-signed by four other Kennedy family members.
He responded to criticisms on Fox News’s Fox News Sunday, saying that he understands that his family is “at the center of the Democratic Party,” but that he hopes it will not affect those family members’ love for him.
“I understand that they’re troubled by my decisions, but you know, 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, but just still love each other,” Kennedy said. Kennedy’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines, also disagrees with the endorsement, according to a post on X.
“So, you know, they can – they’re free to take their positions on these issues. There are many, many members of my family who are working in my campaign, who are supporting me. I have a very big family. There’s a few of them that are troubled, but you know, I think we all need to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other,” he added.
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Kennedy was widely viewed as the most supported third-party candidate, and his decision to endorse Trump could boost the former president’s campaign.
Trump and Kennedy appeared together during a rally on Friday in Arizona, shortly after Kennedy announced the endorsement at a previous address in the Grand Canyon State.
