RFK Jr.'s Family Denounces His 'Dangerous' Decision to Run as a Third Party Candidate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s family is speaking out after the politician announced he would be running in the 2024 presidential election as an Independent candidate, rather than as a Democrat.

"The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country," the statement signed by Rory Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy II and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend read.

"Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment," the statement continued. "Today's announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country."

On Monday, October 9, RFK Jr. announced the major change to his campaign while at a speaking engagement in Philadelphia. "I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States," he told the crowd.

One of the reasons that his decision is a controversial one is because there have been concerns he could split the vote when going head-to-head with Donald Trump and President Biden. It is presently unclear if this would go more in Trump or in Biden's favor if it should happen.

This comes after RFK Jr. admitted that he and his family have had "long personal relationships with President Biden."

"Many of them just plain disagree with me on issues like censorship and war and public health," he said at the time. "They are entitled to their beliefs...and I love them back."

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The 69-year-old has repeatedly sparked backlash since launching his campaign in April. As OK! previously reported, he suggested that COVID-19 may have been created to harm people of certain ethnicities.

"There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately," he told others while attending a New York event this past July. "COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese."

One of his sisters, Kerry, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to "strongly condemn" him for making the remarks she called "deplorable and untruthful."

"His statements do not represent what I believe or what Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights stand for, with our 50+-year track record of protecting rights and standing against racism and all forms of discrimination," she concluded.

However, RFK Jr. later blamed the mainstream media for allegedly making him look bad.

"I mean, listen, if I believe the stuff that’s written about me in the papers and reported about me on the mainstream sites ... I would definitely not vote for me," he said back in July. "I would think I was a very despicable person."