Kerry Kennedy, who will lead the celebrity political family’s endorsement of President Joe Biden on Thursday, said there is no competition when it comes to continuing the Kennedy legacy.
“Nobody is competing with President Biden when it comes to continuing the legacy of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy,” she said on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Her words were a subtle swipe at Robert Kennedy Jr., a family member who is making an independent bid for the White House. Many Democrats fear his run could hurt Biden in crucial battleground states in November, taking votes away from the president and handing a victory to Donald Trump.
“Nobody is competing with President Biden when it comes to continuing the legacies of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy,” Kerry Kenned said on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Kerry Kennedy avoided direct criticism of her brother, noting that the family loves him, but the family has made it clear for months that they support Biden.
‘In a big family you have to love everyone, but you don’t have to love them. In our family we love Bobby and love him, but that’s not what this race is about,” she said.
At least 15 members of America’s most storied political family will join Biden at an event in Philadelphia to show their support for their fellow Irish American.
“The issue here today is the election of Joe Biden. It’s a two-man race. There are only two people in this race who can get 270 electoral votes,” said Kerry Kennedy.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to the news with a post on social media.
“I hear some of my family will be supporting President Biden today. I’m glad they are politically active; it’s a family tradition. We are divided in our opinions, but united in our love for each other,” he wrote.
‘I also see this as an opportunity for America. Can we disagree without hating our opponents? Can we restore civility and respect to public debate? I think we can.’
In addition, his campaign announced on Thursday that he has qualified for the presidential election in the state of Michigan.
As an independent candidate, Kennedy must meet each state’s requirements to be included on the ballot.
Thursday’s endorsement limits Biden’s three-day campaign swing in the critical battleground state, where polls show him and Trump essentially tied. Every man needs the state to win the White House.
But it also shows how seriously Biden’s re-election campaign views Robert Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy as a threat to the president’s quest for a second term.
Polls show Kennedy could pull support away from Biden — enough to make a difference in the swing states that will decide the next president.
Kerry Kennedy made it clear that the family supported Biden so that Trump would not win a second term. The family calls Robert Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy ‘dangerous’.
“This is the most important election of my life,” she said.
“We are taking on Donald Trump who says he will be a dictator from day one, who claims to overturn Roe V. Wade, who has said he wants to change the Constitution to go after his enemies and his critics . The list goes on and on. So we need to elect President Biden, and that’s where all our energy needs to be.”
Many members of the Kennedy clan joined President Joe Biden at the White House for St. Patrick’s Day — and spread the above photo on social media
Maria Shriver joined Biden at the White House in March for an event on women’s health
Biden has long emphasized his admiration for the Kennedy. He mentions Robert F. Kennedy Sr. as a personal source of inspiration in his political career. A bust of the former attorney general and senator sits in the Oval Office.
Furthermore, John F. Kennedy was the country’s first Irish Catholic president; Biden is second.
The Kennedy clan has been voicing their support for Biden for months, but Thursday marks their formal endorsement of the president.
Last month, nearly the entire clan joined Biden for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House, posting a photo with the president to social media.
Kennedys even serve in Biden’s administration: Joe Kennedy III is Biden’s envoy to Northern Ireland, Caroline Kennedy is ambassador to Australia, and Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the widow of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, is ambassador to Austria.
Two of the family’s most prominent members – Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver – will not be present Thursday.
The Biden campaign told the New York Times this was due to their non-political professional roles.
Maria Shriver has made her support for Biden clear. She has co-hosted many women’s health events with Jill Biden, including one last month at the White House.
But there will be a lot of Kennedys on stage.
Joe Kennedy III, grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, will be in attendance. And Robert Kennedy Jr.’s siblings, Joseph, Rory, Kathleen, Maxwell and Christopher, will also be there to support Biden.
Robert F. Kennedy’s daughter Kerry will lead the family endorsement.
“I can only imagine how Donald Trump’s outrageous lies and behavior would have shocked my father, Robert F. Kennedy, who proudly served as Attorney General of the United States and kept his promise to uphold the law and protect the country,” Kerry Kennedy will say, according to her prepared remarks released by the campaign.
“Dad stood for equal justice, human rights, and freedom from want and fear. Just like President Biden is doing today.”
Many Kennedy family members have wondered why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenges a sitting Democratic president
Many Kennedy family members have referred to RFK Jr. disavowed for his skepticism about vaccines and his talk of conspiracy theories. They have also publicly questioned why he would challenge an incumbent Democrat.
They also criticized him for an ad that featured a super PAC supporting RFK Jr. showed during the Super Bowl. The ad was very similar to one supporting John F. Kennedy, his uncle, during his 1960 bid for the White House.
Later, RFK Jr. offered apologized to his relatives and wrote on X that he was sorry if the place “hurt anyone in my family.”
He tried to downplay the lack of family support.
“I have a big family, about 105 cousins at the last time we counted,” he told CNN a few weeks ago. ‘I have a big family. I don’t know anyone in America who has a family that agrees with him on everything.”
Following Thursday’s endorsement event, President Biden and members of the Kennedy family will join supporters and volunteers in a grassroots event, the campaign said.
Later in the day, members of the Kennedy family will call and knock on Biden’s behalf.