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WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent candidacy has emerged as a potential political spoiler for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign. But for the extended Kennedy family, the possibility of one of their own flipping the race to Republican nominee Donald Trump poses another risk: ruining their legacy.
Some members of the Kennedy family have already released statements this fall making clear their support for Biden. But dozens of Kennedys gathered at the White House last weekend, boosting Biden’s reelection efforts and marking the beginning of a more aggressive effort to push back against their own Kennedys.
“It made sense for everyone to come together,” a senior member of the Kennedy family said of gathering at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day. The visit included three generations and four branches of RFK Jr.’s extended family, who were photographed with Biden on the steps of the Rose Garden.
As for potential future interactions with Biden, the senior Kennedy family member added: “I think timing is everything.”
Those close to the family say the Kennedys’ increased involvement in the 2024 race could take other forms. Some family members, who have been involved in politics themselves, expect RFK Jr. to spend time campaigning this fall, especially in states where he is eligible to vote. For others, it involves beefing up media appearances, lending a respected family member’s name to efforts aimed at countering a relative’s campaign, or in some cases legal challenges to a ballot access campaign. It might even be possible.
The White House and Biden campaign have welcomed it, but they did not direct it themselves. According to people familiar with the family’s advocacy work, the Biden team is letting the Kennedy family take the lead in supporting the presidential candidate and is working to provide support as needed.
Kerry Kennedy, the seventh of Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s 11 children and chairman of the family foundation, played a leading role in organizing the family’s political efforts against the 70-year-old RFK Jr. I have fulfilled my goal.
The Democratic National Committee announced this week that Mary Beth Cahill, Sen. Ted Kennedy’s former chief of staff, will become a senior adviser on the party’s efforts to run against third-party candidates. The DNC was happy to point to the Rose Garden photo as an indication of where most of the Kennedy family stands.
“Seeing is believing,” said Matt Corridoni, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. “It speaks volumes that the people who know RFK Jr. best are supporting Joe Biden in this election.” he said.
Members of the Kennedy family declined to comment on their potential role in the campaign, citing the sensitivity of the situation. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Sources close to the family say some members of the Kennedy family feel more comfortable criticizing their family members directly than others, especially those close in age and family to RFK Jr. There is a possibility that he will simply support Biden.
For example, Stephen Kennedy Smith posted directly to social media with a photo of the Rose Garden, warning that his cousin could hand the election to Trump and jeopardize “our democratic process.” .
“This is a mistake that our nation cannot tolerate,” he wrote. “It’s hard to speak up against a family member because our family has always worked together. But when RFK Jr. decided to run, he didn’t call me for help. , because I knew I would oppose his candidacy because of his misguided stances on issues, poor judgment, and tenuous relationship to the truth.”
A person familiar with the move noted that with such a large family, the coordination of messages, if not missions, will never be perfectly aligned. But the person said the “overwhelming majority” of Joseph and Rose Kennedy’s descendants — many of whom simply refer to each other as “cousins,” even if the words don’t quite apply — are in the Biden camp. It is said that he will support it.
Another person familiar with the developments said some members of the Kennedy family are “furious” at RFK Jr., adding, “They understandably understand what he’s doing to their family name. I’m concerned,” he added.
This is not the first time RFK Jr. has faced public criticism from his siblings, cousins and other family members over his views and political activities. Their renewed opposition to his presidential bid is based on similar public family feuds that began organically during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, his relatives were stunned to learn that RFK Jr. had emerged as a major spreader of misinformation about the deadly virus.
In an interview with NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard last month, Kennedy downplayed the family feud.
“I disagree with my family on many points. I have a family that strongly supports me. There are 105 Kennedys,” he said. “I think there are very few Americans whose families agree on every issue. And our family grew up in an environment of argumentation. We would go home every night at dinner and argue with each other and discuss important issues. We were encouraged to discuss such issues, and we still love each other. I love my family. They have a right to their opinion.”
The potential power of the Kennedy family’s advocacy efforts was seen in a rose garden photo first posted by Kerry Kennedy and later shared by other members of the family. Biden supporters say the photo sends an important message to the president’s campaign in a potentially close election: that despite the RFK Jr. brand name, he is an outlier among his family. He pointed out that this contributed significantly to amplifying the message.
Even though campaigning was inevitable, people familiar with the Kennedy family’s visit to the White House on Sunday said it was more personal for everyone involved, including the president.
In addition to welcoming them at a public reception celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, Biden said, “It’s great to have the Kennedys here, from our extended Irish Catholic family to other families.” He then took them on a private tour of the West Wing. Including the presidential office.
Biden introduced the bust of Robert F. Kennedy near the Resolute Desk, where President John F. Kennedy’s young children famously played when visiting their father. And he talked about the huge influence of not just the former attorney general and New York state senator, but his entire family.
A source close to the Kennedy family said Biden was “incredibly generous, thoughtful and funny” during the visit. For many of the young people in attendance, it will be their first time at the White House, the official added, and the place is “incredibly historically significant” for their families.
“He showed everyone around and was patient with everyone, no matter their age,” said a source close to the Kennedy family. “It is humbling for the President of the United States to take the time to acknowledge the influence of various members of his family.”
Although the Kennedy family gathers regularly at the family compound in Hyannis Port, they rarely gather in Washington, and their visits to the White House have been infrequent in recent years.
“President Clinton could have taken us all there,” a family source said. But the trip had a personal meaning in addition to the political message, the official added. “It was really special because it was rare for everyone to be together in the White House. And Joe Biden likes our family, so it was really special as well,” the source said. Ta.
Mr. Biden has a deep affinity for the Kennedy family.
JFK’s election in 1960 was a traumatic event for his Irish Catholic family. Biden has called RFK one of his two political heroes, along with Martin Luther King, whose assassination in 1968 was a shaping factor in his own political career. Biden served with Ted Kennedy throughout his 36 years in the Senate, once called him a “tutor” and “guide” when he entered the House in 1973, and soon lost his first wife and infant son in a car accident. She supported him even after he lost his daughter. After his election.
In an interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, Biden mentioned as an aside that he wanted to establish a “Biden Center” on the University of Delaware campus, similar to the Kennedy Center in Washington.
President Biden’s love for Ethel Kennedy, RFK Jr.’s mother, has been long-standing. He attended her 90th birthday celebration in 2018, spoke with her on the phone as her president, and sent her a gift.
But the family cautioned that Mrs Kennedy was not involved in current politics, including her son Bobby’s activities, saying: “That is not something we would discuss with her.”
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