April 18 (UPI) — The Kennedy family supported the president Joe Biden during his 2024 presidential campaign in Philadelphia on Thursday.
Fifteen members of the Kennedy family stood by Biden on the final leg of his journey through Pennsylvania on Thursday, in their harshest reprimand yet Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign
The Kennedy family’s support for Biden was led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sister, Kerry Kennedy, who commented at the event explaining the family’s public support for the president.
“Donald Trump is setting us back, attacking the most fundamental rights and freedoms that are at the heart of who we are as Americans. He said he would be a dictator from day one, even saying he wanted to try to suspend the Constitution,” she said.
“I can only imagine how Donald Trump’s lies and outrageous behavior would have horrified my father, Robert F. Kennedy, who proudly served as Attorney General of the United States and honored his promise to uphold the law and protect the country.”
Biden at event said ‘Robert F. Kennedy’passion and courage inspired my generation“, recalling his speech calling for peace after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Biden told the family that Robert F. Kennedy’s legacy also inspired his own political career. After working at a prestigious Delaware law firm, he ultimately decided to become a public defender.
“I did it largely because I thought it was something your father would have done,” he said.
While Trump was the main target of attacks at Thursday’s event, Kerry Kennedy’s criticism of her brother’s campaign was far from subtle.
“In 2024, there are only two candidates with a chance of winning the presidency,” she said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, initially launched his presidential campaign as Biden’s Democratic challenger but announced in October that he would do so. leave the Democratic Party and continue his presidential campaign as an independent.
Last month, he named Nicole Shanahan, an Oakland-born entrepreneur and ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, as his running mate.
Joseph Kennedy III, who is Biden’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, said he is concerned that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign could siphon enough votes from Biden to allow Trump to regain the presidency.
“We want to be able to make that point, not only because of the risk that Bobby’s candidacy shows, but also because of who Joe Biden is, what Joe Biden has done and what Joe Biden will do after four more years in office,” said Joseph Kennedy III. said, according to NBC News.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he understands why his family members “don’t like” his presidential campaign while saying he still loves them.
“I don’t know anyone in America whose family agrees with them on everything,” he said. told CNN earlier this month.
In the same spirit, the family of the late emblematic organizer of the agricultural union Cesar Chavez came to support Biden last month after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. highlighted the close relationship between his father and Chavez at a campaign event.
Ironically, Chavez’s granddaughter, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, is Biden’s campaign manager.
