The Kennedy Family's Differing Political Views, Explained

There appears to be a family feud happening among the Kennedys, and it's not because they're fighting over guessing audience survey questions on live television. Often hailed as "America's royal family" (move aside, Kardashians), the Kennedys have been entrenched in U.S. politics for generations, their legacy cemented by decades of public service. But that picture-perfect image took a nosedive when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decided to throw his hat into the presidential ring — and shockingly, teamed up with Donald Trump.

Tragedies and scandals aside, the Kennedys built an empire on political power. It all started with Joseph "Joe" P. Kennedy Sr., the self-made billionaire who amassed a fortune and made sure his kids knew one thing: with great privilege comes the obligation to serve the public. "What Joe Kennedy did was imbue his children with the understanding — almost the command — that because they had money, good looks, intelligence, and self-confidence, they had a responsibility to contribute as best they could to public service," David Nasaw, author of "The Patriarch," explained to ABC News.

And give back they did. John F. Kennedy became the youngest president ever elected, while Robert F. Kennedy Sr. stood by his side as attorney general. Edward "Ted" Kennedy ruled the Senate from Massachusetts for decades. The rest of the family? They held almost every political role you could think of, from ambassadors to congressional seats, making the Kennedys a Democratic dynasty through and through. That is, until RFK Jr. decided to go rogue. His decision to join the presidential race and cozy up to Trump in the process didn't sit well with the rest of the clan, making him the odd man out.

It's no secret that the Kennedys have long been the poster family for the Democratic Party. Nearly every Kennedy who held public office did so under the Democratic banner, going as far as Joe Kennedy Sr.'s father, Patrick Joseph "P.J." Kennedy, who was a prominent figure in the party. John F. Kennedy, who narrowly won the 1960 presidential race against Richard Nixon, was a dedicated Democrat, as was Robert F. Kennedy Sr., RFK Jr.'s father, who became a symbol of liberalism until his tragic assassination in 1968, shortly after winning the California Democratic primary.

However, RFK Jr. has shattered that legacy by running as an independent in the 2024 presidential race, abandoning the Democratic Party over what he sees as its failings. Ironically, he initially stood firmly with the party, even proclaiming, "This is who I am. This is my identity. But I want my party back. I want my party to be ... The party that I grew up in. The party of John Kennedy, the party of Robert Kennedy, the party of FDR and Harry Truman," during a NewsNation town hall in June 2023, according to ABC News.

Fast forward a few months, and RFK Jr. decided to make cut ties with the Dems completely, announcing his independent run. And, of course, it didn't come without some family guilt. "I haven't made this decision lightly. It is very painful for me to let go of the party of my uncles, my father," he said at a rally at the time (via NPR). "We declare independence from the two political parties and the corrupt interests that dominate them, and the entire rigged system of rancor and rage, corruption and lies."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn't just tarnish the Kennedy family name by ditching the Democratic Party — he did it by peddling conspiracy theories. Before his presidential run, RFK Jr. had already become a magnet for controversy and scandal thanks to some seriously eyebrow-raising beliefs. Take, for example, his claim that the rise in school shootings coincides with the availability of antidepressants. "It really started happening conterminous with the introduction of these drugs, with Prozac and the other drugs," he said in an episode of the "Club Random With Bill Maher" podcast (via The New York Times).

His views on vaccines have drawn even more attention. RFK Jr. has infamously claimed that vaccines are directly linked to autism, a thoroughly debunked theory. And in a truly head-scratching statement, he implied that COVID-19 might have been engineered to target specific races. "There are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and impact," he said in a video that has since gone viral. And if that wasn't enough, he's also latched onto the theory that the CIA was behind the assassination of JFK, claiming during a "Hannity" appearance, "Most of the people in that investigation believed it was the CIA that was behind it because the evidence was so overwhelming to them."

As you might guess, these positions haven't exactly gone over well with the rest of the Kennedy clan. In a Politico op-ed, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and Maeve Kennedy McKean didn't mince words, specifically about his stance on vaccines. "We love Bobby. He is one of the great champions of the environment," they wrote. "However, on vaccines he is wrong. And his and others' work against vaccines is having heartbreaking consequences."

Running as an independent is one thing, but supporting Donald Trump? That decision took things to a whole new level. After ending his presidential bid, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decided to back Trump — despite previously calling him a "threat to democracy" and a "terrible president," as noted by CNN.

RFK Jr. does acknowledge that he and Trump don't agree on everything, but he's convinced they're aligned where it counts. He believes Trump will support his efforts to rein in Big Pharma, stating, "Pharma executives and consultants and lobbyists cycle in and out of these [government regulatory] agencies. With President Trump's backing, I'm going to change that. We're going to staff these agencies with honest scientists and doctors who are free from industry funding or make sure the decisions of consumers, doctors, and patients are informed by unbiased science." The Trumps, for their part, seem eager to give RFK Jr. a major role in the administration, with Donald Trump Jr. telling Glenn Beck, "I love the idea of giving him some sort of role in some sort of major three-letter entity or whatever it may be and let him blow it up" (via BBC).

The Kennedy family, of course, wasn't about to let this endorsement go unchallenged. They wasted no time issuing a statement denouncing RFK Jr.'s decision. "Our brother Bobby's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story," they said on X, formerly Twitter, signed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Courtney, Kerry, Chris, and Rory Kennedy.

To say the Kennedys were disappointed in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to support Donald Trump would be putting it mildly. Many of them have publicly blasted him, expressing their frustration and outrage at what they see as a "betrayal" of the family's name and legacy.

"Donald Trump is anathema to everything our family stands for. I distance myself and reject everything that Bobby is doing and saying because I think that it's a rejection of our family's values and everything that I've spent my life working for," Kerry Kennedy, his sister, told USA Today. "And frankly, everything Bobby spent his life working for." His brother, Max Kennedy, even went as far as to tell the public to outright ignore him, writing in a Los Angeles Times op-ed that he couldn't believe how polarizing of a figure he had become. "I love Bobby. But I hate what he is doing to our country. It is worse than disappointment. We are in mourning."

Even RFK Jr.'s cousin, Jack Schlossberg, son of Caroline Kennedy, didn't hold back. In an Instagram video, Schlossberg condemned his presidential run, saying it's nothing more than a "vanity project," urging everyone to back his opponents instead. "He's trading in on Camelot, celebrity conspiracy theories, and conflict for personal gain and fame," he mused. "I've listened to him. I know him. I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president. What I do know is his candidacy is an embarrassment."

Despite being shunned by multiple Kennedys, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made it clear that there were no hard feelings on his side. He's well aware that the family is anything but united, but he claims he's long since learned not to take their public condemnations to heart.

"My whole family, including myself, have long personal relationships with President Biden ... and many of them just plain disagree with me on issues like censorship and war and public health," RFK Jr. said at a rally, per People. "They are entitled to their beliefs... And I love them back." He didn't even blink when most of the family threw their support behind Joe Biden (and subsequently, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz) for the 2024 presidential race instead of him. "Some of them don't like the fact that I'm running," he said at another event, AP News noted. "I debated them with information and passion and not to hate each other because we disagreed with each other... I love my family, either way."

And even after publicly supporting Donald Trump — a move that nearly got him disowned (except for his wife, Cheryl Hines, whose own political views are confusing at best) — RFK Jr. still maintains that he's every bit a Kennedy. His views, he insists, don't make him any less a part of the family. "You know, my family is at the center of the Democratic Party... I understand that they're troubled by my decisions," he dished to Fox News. "But, you know, I think we all need to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other."