In a deeply divided nation, political disagreements have strained relationships among friends and family members, perhaps none more publicly than with the Kennedys.
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, ended his long-shot campaign for president in August, he threw his support behind Donald Trump, which was met with a swift rebuke from his siblings, who called the move a “betrayal” of their family’s values.
Now, in the aftermath of Trump’s reelection, some members of the storied political family are expressing concerns over the possibility that RFK Jr., an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, could have a powerful role in this second Trump administration.
In the waning days of the presidential election, Trump signaled that RFK Jr. could have a hand in shaping the nation’s health policies, saying he was poised to “go wild on health… go wild on the medicines.” Post-election, it’s not clear how far his influence might extend.
In an interview with CNN the morning after the election, RKF Jr.’s sister, Kerry Kennedy, reaffirmed that while she loves her brother, she doesn’t trust him to manage a public health agency in the US, citing his long history as an anti-vaccine activist, which has included pushing discredited claims that childhood vaccines are linked to autism.
“I’m concerned about childhood vaccines and assuring that the United States, both domestically and internationally, continues to make all those vaccines available to people and to our children and to our world and many, many other issues,” she said.
RFK Jr., who is part of the president-elect’s transition team, told NPR on Wednesday that one of his priorities would be to review vaccine research but that he does not intend to cut the supply of vaccines.
“Of course, we’re not going to take vaccines away from anybody,” he said. “We are going to make sure that Americans have good information right now.”
Joe Kennedy III, RFK Jr.’s nephew and a former congressman, was asked by WCVB Channel 5 whether he believes his uncle will have an official role overseeing health care in the second Trump administration.
“That’s a question for President Trump,” Joe Kennedy III said. “I’ve made it clear I’ve got very deep differences with my uncle about his positions on a whole wide variety of policies, some of which are public health, many of which are others.”
He is hopeful that accepted beliefs on science and public health will inform leadership decisions in the new administration, WCVB reported.
In the days since Trump’s decisive defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris this week, Democrats have been debating about how the party will move forward. Kerry Kennedy said Democrats need to think thoroughly about why their campaign failed to resonate with enough voters.
“This is time for Democrats to take seriously the mandate that’s been handed to Donald Trump,” she said Wednesday morning. “71 million Americans came out and voted for him. Why? How do we reach out to people? What was wrong with her policies and what was wrong with her messaging, and how do we reach out to people who were not with us in this campaign?”
As of Friday afternoon, while votes were still being counted in some states, Trump was leading Harris in the popular vote by about 73.5 million votes to Harris’s 69.2 million.
She also urged Americans to try to heal relationships that have been damaged by the country’s deeply polarized political environment.
“I think it’s the job of all of us as Americans to find ways to heal the divisions within our country, to reach out to family members which we’ve had divisions with, to reach out within our own communities and and re-establish those bonds of love and community,” she said.
Kerry Kennedy said she planned to reach out to her brother on Wednesday to congratulate him and wish him good luck.
“I love Bobby, he’s a member of my family, and I like him, I love being with him,” she said. “So I believe that we can have divisions over very fundamental, important issues for our country, and still find ways of loving each other internally.”
But she also warned of the dangers posed to democratic institutions by Trump’s intentions to use the power of the government against his political opponents once he takes office in January.
“As Liz Cheney pointed out, it’s going to be up to all of us as Americans who love our country to assure that our institutions are kept safe and and bolstered during this time, and that courts are bolstered, and that the future of democracy is bolstered, both domestically and internationally.”
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.