The Kennedy clan needs ’to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other,’ he says.
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.
Kennedy on Sunday faced questions during a “Fox News Sunday” interview about a letter issued by several members of his family, who condemned his public support of Trump, that was distributed heavily on social media over the past weekend.
“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.”
