Photo: Drew Hallowell Getty Images via Agence France-Presse The Kennedy clan's declaration of affection was made at a Democratic campaign rally Thursday afternoon in Philadelphia by Kerry Kennedy (right in photo). She is the sister of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the independent presidential candidate, rejected by his family because of his overly libertarian, conspiracy-minded and anti-system positions.
Fabien Deglise
Posted at 4:24 p.m.
- United States
It is a highly symbolic gesture that the Kennedy clan, an emblematic family of American liberal politics, has just made by massively supporting the candidacy of American President Joe Biden for the 2024 presidential election.
The declaration of affection was made at a Democratic campaign rally Thursday afternoon in Philadelphia by Kerry Kennedy, the sister of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate rejected by his family. because of its overly libertarian, conspiratorial and anti-system positions. The nephew of the former American president assassinated in 1963 could come and play spoilsport during the November election, dominated by a new face-to-face between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
“We want to be clear: the best path forward for America is to re-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for four more years,” said Kerry Kennedy alongside Joe Biden and surrounded by her sisters Rory and Kathleen, as well as Joseph, Max and Christopher, his brothers. In total, nearly fifteen Kennedys are behind this public support, including the young Joe Kennedy III, nephew of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Democratic congressman from Massachusetts.
“President Biden has been the great defender of all the rights and freedoms defended by my father and my uncles,” she added, specifying that “almost all of the grandchildren of Joe and Rose Kennedy [parents of JFK and base of the clan] support Joe Biden”.
Earlier in the day, on ABC, Kerry Kennedy recalled that “no one rivals President Biden when it comes to carrying on the legacy of John Kennedy, of Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy.” “I think he has no competition [on that side] and we have to make sure he gets elected. »
For several months, the majority of members of the family have decried the candidacy of one of their own as an independent with a view to the presidential election next November, denouncing his policies breaking with the democratic tradition of the clan as much as the possibility that he would swing the vote in favor of populist Donald Trump, who is angrily seeking to regain the Oval Office seat he lost in 2020.
“I can 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,” Kerry Kennedy said. “Dad stood for justice, human rights and freedom from want and fear, just as President Biden does today. »
The Unknown Woman by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Carried by his surname, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became known as a lawyer versed in the defense of environmental causes before switching to the dark side of conspiracy theories, particularly those that fueled the anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent days, he has questioned the Justice Department's work in prosecuting the rioters who took part in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, while downplaying the seriousness of the insurrection.
At the end of March, he created a surprise among the libertarian fringe of his supporters by revealing the name of his running mate: Nicole Shanahan, a young, rather liberal lawyer from Silicon Valley, who contributed financially to Joe Biden's campaign in 2020 and was close to Elon Musk, another controversial figure on the American media and technology scene. This choice was welcomed by Donald Trump who described it on his social network as “great for MAGA [Make America Great Again, the name of the ex-president's populist movement]”, thus insinuating that she would contribute to undermine Joe Biden's electoral race.
“It is very difficult to determine, at this point in the campaign, whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attracts more Joe Biden or Donald Trump voters,” summarized in an interview with < i>Dutya few days ago the political scientist John Cluverius, of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, while emphasizing that the criticisms currently formulated against one and the other of these two candidates, by the voters of their respective parties – on the conflict in Israel, on Ukraine, on legal proceedings… — will not necessarily result in a vote for Kennedy. “What is clear, however, is that Kennedy appears to be attracting a shrinking share of the electorate, even though a significant number of voters like neither Trump nor Biden. »
“A family tradition”
The support of the Kennedy clan expressed Thursday for Joe Biden closely follows the visit of several members of the illustrious family with Irish roots to the White House to mark St. Patrick's Day. The meeting would thus have laid the foundations for this massive public support expressed on the occasion of the last stop of a three-day tour by the president in his native state of Pennsylvania.
On Network “We are divided in our opinions, but united in our love for one another,” he wrote. “This may be a possibility for America too: Can we disagree without hating our adversaries ? Can we restore civility and respect to public discourse ? I think so. »