RFK Jr.'s endorsement of Trump sparks 'outrage' among some members of the Kennedy family. Here's what they've said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement on Friday that he is suspending his presidential campaign and endorsing former President Donald Trump has prompted condemnation from several members of his family, including five of his 10 siblings, who called the move a “betrayal.”

Kennedy, who initially launched his campaign as a Democrat before switching to an Independent in October 2023, had faced declining poll numbers and financial challenges in recent weeks. The endorsement was made during a Trump rally in Arizona, shortly after Kennedy withdrew from the state’s presidential ballot.

Citing free speech, the war in Ukraine and “a war on our children” as among the reasons why he left the Democratic Party to run as an Independent, Kennedy said it was those principal causes that inspired his decision to support Trump now. The move marks a significant break from the Democratic politics associated with the Kennedy family. Kennedy is the son of Robert F. Kennedy, the former U.S. attorney general and senator who was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968, and a nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Ted Kennedy, also both Democrats.

Kennedy’s 31-year-old cousin, Jack Schlossberg, criticized the endorsement on X, writing, “RFKJr is for sale.” According to the Washington Post, Kennedy had sought a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss a potential cabinet position in exchange for his endorsement, but the request reportedly went unanswered.

During Friday’s rally, Kennedy hinted that Trump might have offered him a cabinet position should he return to the White House, though neither offered specifics. The Associated Press later reported that Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, suggested he could be considered for the role of Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in a Trump administration.

Schlossberg is just one member of the Kennedy clan who has spoken out to oppose his cousin’s decision to back Trump. In fact, several family members released a statement on Friday denouncing his endorsement of Trump.

Here’s a roundup of reactions from RFK Jr.’s relatives — and how he has responded to their concerns.

Joint statement from Kennedy's siblings

Five of RFK Jr.’s 10 siblings — his sisters Kathleen, Courtney, Kerry and Rory, as well as his brother Chris — issued a statement calling their brother’s endorsement of Trump “a betrayal.”

“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,” the statement said, which was shared by Kerry Kennedy in a post on X Friday.

“We believe in Harris and Walz,” the statement continued. “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.”

Joe Kennedy III, a grandson of RFK Sr., retweeted the statement, writing, “Well said.”

Kerry Kennedy

RFK Jr.’s sister, Kerry Kennedy, further expressed her deep disappointment in an interview on CNN, following the family's public statement on Friday.

Speaking with Kaitlan Collins, she said, “I love my brother, but this is an outrage, and I completely disavow and disassociate myself from him on this issue.”

She further emphasized that if their father, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., were alive today, he would strongly oppose Donald Trump, particularly Trump’s “cruel smearing of human rights for suffering people,” a cause that she said deeply motivated their father’s political activism.

Max Kennedy

Max Kennedy also expressed deep sorrow over his brother’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and support Trump’s campaign.

In an op-ed published Sunday by the Los Angeles Times, Max described Trump as the type of “arrogant, entitled bully” that their father opposed.

Max also suggested that their father would likely have respected Harris, the Democratic nominee, for her commitment to values like decency, equality and justice.

“To pledge allegiance to Trump, a man who demonstrates no adherence to our family’s values, is inconceivable to me,” he wrote. “With a heavy heart, I am today asking my fellow Americans to do what will honor our father the most: Ignore Bobby and support Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic platform. It’s what is best for our country.”

Jack Schlossberg

Schlossberg, now a political correspondent for Vogue, shared his thoughts on the issue in a post shared to X on Friday.

“Never been less surprised in my life,” he wrote. “Been saying it for over a year — RFKjr is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it. Kamala Harris is for the people — the easiest decision of all time just got easier.”

Schlossberg, who recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, has a history of criticizing his cousin over his political views. He first made headlines back in May after posting a series of clips criticizing RFK Jr.’s policy positions.

RFK Jr. responds

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Kennedy opened up about the personal cost he’s faced in regards to his family.

“My family is at the center of the Democratic Party,” he told host Shannon Bream. “I understand that they are 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, but to still love each other. They are free to take their positions on these issues.”

He also acknowledged in an X post on Friday that the decision to back Trump even made his wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines, “uncomfortable.”

“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,” he wrote. “I wish this also for the country — love and unity even in the face of disagreement. We will need that in [the] coming times.”

The message was a retweet of a post Hines shared to X on Friday.

“I'd like to extend a sincere, deeply heartfelt thank you to every person who has worked so tirelessly and lovingly on his campaign,” Hines wrote before noting that she respects her husband’s decision to endorse Trump and “run on the principle of unity.”

In the past, Hines has publicly opposed Trump and her husband’s anti-vaccine views. Kennedy previously stated that any connection with Trump’s administration could strain his marriage, a sentiment Hines echoed earlier this year in an interview with TMZ.

“It's been my experience that the vast majority of all parties are truly good people who want the best for our country and for each other,” Hines continued. “It has been an eye-opening, transformative, and endearing journey.”