Kennedy family members, including RFK Jr. and Kerry Kennedy, react to Trump election win
More than six decades after John F. Kennedy was elected as one of the youngest people at the nation's helm, members of his politically prominent family rooted here in Massachusetts are speaking out about President-elect Donald Trump's victory.
Trump earned a victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday's election, earning a path to his second presidency despite two past impeachments.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, was originally running against the president-elect as an independent presidential candidate before dropping out of the race in August. He swiftly endorsed Trump, a move his family called a "betrayal" in a statement.
All of the Kennedy family members who have held elected office, including John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, have done so as members of the Democratic party.
On Wednesday morning, after Trump's win was called, several members of the Kennedy family shared their reactions to the news.
RFK Jr. congratulates Trump on win. Will he have a cabinet role?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on his win Wednesday morning in a social media post.
"Congratulations @realDonaldTrump on your historic victory," Kennedy wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "Let’s bring the country together and Make America Healthy Again!"
In the days leading up to the election, Kennedy encouraged his followers on social media to vote for Trump "if you want to see me in Washington, DC."
He has said that Trump "promised" to put him in charge of public health agencies if elected, but Trump's transition team co-chair Howard Lutnick refuted the claim.
“He’s not getting a job for HHS,” Lutnick said in an interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
Throughout his own presidential campaign, Kennedy was critical of public health measures like vaccines. Last week, he said Trump would remove fluoride from public water sources if reelected.
Kerry Kennedy, RFK's daughter, reacts to Trump win: 'Heal the divisions'
Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, spoke out on social media Wednesday after Donald Trump was named president-elect.
Kerry Kennedy, who is the president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a nonprofit human rights advocacy organization, said she believes "in democracy and elections."
"It is now time to reach out, to understand why, to heal the divisions, and to begin to build consensus in our country around justice, freedom, and compassion towards those who suffer," Kerry Kennedy said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
She added, "it is up to all Americans to protect our great country, bolster the institutions of democracy, and protect the rights of all to criticize the government without fear of retaliation—especially members of the press, opposition political figures, defenders of civic space, and members of targeted groups."
Kerry Kennedy and her siblings have distanced themselves from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s political stances, writing in a statement in August that his endorsement of Trump was a "betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear."
Jack Schlossberg shares subtle tribute to grandfather JFK after Trump wins election
Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, shared a subtle tribute to his grandfather on Wednesday morning after Donald Trump was named president-elect.
Schlossberg, who spoke in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter that he "left it on all the field" after Trump was declared winner of the election.
"Left it on all the field !! And I’d do it again :)" Schlossberg wrote, along with a screenshot of the poem "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost.
The poem in Schlossberg's post is seemingly a nod to his grandfather — the poem's author, Robert Frost, spoke at John F. Kennedy's inauguration, becoming the first poet to speak at a president's inauguration.