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Kerry Kennedy has said she is “disgusted” by her brother Robert F Kennedy Jr’s “obscene” backing of Donald Trump.
In a scathing rebuke of her brother, Kennedy said by dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Trump, RFK Jr has “set fire” to their father’s memory.
Their father, the late senator Robert F Kennedy, who served as the former attorney general, was assassinated while running for president in 1968.
Speaking to Inside with Jen Psaki on MSNBC, Kennedy said: “If my dad were alive today, the real Robert Kennedy would’ve detested almost everything Donald Trump represents.
“I am outraged and disgusted by my brother’s obscene embrace of Donald Trump. I completely disavow and dissociate myself from Robert Kennedy Jr and his flagrant efforts to desecrate, trample and set fire to my father’s memory.”
Five of RFK Jr’s siblings shared a joint statement on Friday where they condemned their brother and backed Kamala Harris for president.
The statement, signed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy and Rory Kennedy, said: “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. It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
Writing an op-ed in the LA Times, Max Kennedy also implored voters to “ignore my brother Bobby” and said he was “heartbroken” by RFK Jr’s decision to back Trump.
He said: “It is all the more tragic because of our brother’s name. To carry the name Robert F. Kennedy Jr. means a special legacy within a legacy. It would strongly imply a desire to carry on our father’s work. But Bobby’s alliance with Trump puts this in jeopardy.”
Joe Kennedy III, one of Robert F Kennedy’s grandchildren and who serves in the Biden administration as a special envoy to Northern Ireland, shared the statement on X , adding, “well said.”
Shortly after his address last Friday, RFK Jr shared how his wife Cheryl Hines was “uncomfortable” with his decision. He said:
“I am so grateful to my amazing wife Cheryl for her unconditional love, as I made a political decision with which she is very uncomfortable.”
Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, the Kennedy family previously endorsed him at an event earlier this year where they warned about the dangers of a Trump presidency.
In a blow to her brother, Kerry Kennedy said at the time: “Nearly every single grandchild of Joe and Rose Kennedy supports Joe Biden. That’s right, the Kennedy family endorses Joe Biden for president.
“I can only imagine how Donald Trump’s outrageous lies and behaviour would have horrified my father, senator Robert F Kennedy, who proudly served as the Attorney General of the United States and honoured his pledge to uphold the law and protect the country.
“Daddy stood for equal justice, for human rights and freedom from want and fear,” she added.
