Kennedy says he loves his family ‘anyway’ after relatives endorse Biden’s campaign over his

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday acknowledged the statements of support from more than a dozen of his family members who support the Democratic President Joe Bidennoting that he feels no ill will about the political divisions within the family.

“Some people don’t like that I’m running,” Kennedy said of his family members, after a comedy showcase in suburban Detroit to benefit his campaign.

Kennedy — who launched an independent presidential bid last year after first challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination — responded last week to messages of support from his sister and other family members, a move by the Biden campaign that signals how seriously the president’s team it takes a long time. shot candidate who uses the lingering Democratic magic of his last name to siphon support from the incumbent.

In Philadelphia, Kerry Kennedya daughter of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, niece of former president John F Kennedy and sister of the current presidential candidate, called Biden “my hero,” and said — without naming her brother — that the family wanted to make their support for Biden’s re-election “crystal clear.”

Biden, who keeps a bust of Robert F. Kennedy in the Oval Office, said the endorsements were “an incredible honor.”

He then described the family debates that he said his father had orchestrated among his children. Kennedy said Sunday night that the exercise showed him a respectful way to take opposing positions with people he cares about without taking it personally.

“I debated it with information and passion and not to hate each other because we disagreed,” he said. “I love my family no matter what.”

Kennedy — who named Biden’s Oval Office bust RFK, as well as his family members who currently work in Biden’s administration as well as on his own presidential campaign — made his comments in Michigan, where the campaign secured entry into the general election last week. In front of the theater in suburban Detroit before the performances, several dozen demonstrators opposed Kennedy’s appearance, holding signs aimed at aligning Kennedy with former President Donald Trump.

Kennedy has spoken publicly in the past about disagreeing with his family on many issues, but claims this can be done in “friendly” ways. After a super political action committee in support of his campaign produced a TV ad during the Super Bowl that relied heavily on footage from John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential run, Kennedy Jr. apologized to his family members on the social media platform

“I love my family. I feel like they love me,” he said Sunday. “And I wish the same would happen for all of our country, where we disagree without hating each other.”

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP