Robert F. Kennedy Jr's sister Kerry insists BIDEN is the only candidate to carry on the dynasty's legacy... and says you 'don't have to like' everyone in your family

  • Kerry Kennedy said on GMA that only Biden carries 'on the legacies of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy'
  • Kennedy family endorsing Biden in Philadelphia on Thursday
  • They have long made it clear they support Biden over Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Kerry Kennedy, who will led the famous political family's endorsement of President Joe Biden on Thursday, said there is no competition when it comes to carrying on the Kennedy legacy.

'Nobody competes with President Biden when it comes to carrying on the legacies of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy,' she said on ABC's Good Morning America.

Her words were a subtle dig at Robert Kennedy Jr., a family member who's making an independent bid for the White House. Many Democrats worry his run could hurt Biden in crucial battleground states in November, taking votes away from the president and handing a victory to Donald Trump.

'Nobody competes with President Biden when it comes to carrying on the legacies of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy,' Kerry Kenned said on ABC's Good Morning America

'Nobody competes with President Biden when it comes to carrying on the legacies of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy,' Kerry Kenned said on ABC's Good Morning America 

Kerry Kennedy avoided direct criticism of her brother, noting the family loves him, but the family has made it clear for months they are supporting Biden.

'In a big family, you have to love everybody, but you don't have to like them. In our family, we love Bobby and we like him, but that's not what this race is about,' she said. 

At least 15 members of the most-storied political family in America will join Biden at an event in Philadelphia to show their support for their fellow Irish American. 

'The point here today is electing Joe Biden. It is a two-man race. There's only two people in this race who can get to 270 electoral votes,' Kerry Kennedy said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to the news with a post on social media.

'I hear some of my family will be endorsing President Biden today. I am pleased they are politically active — it’s a family tradition. We are divided in our opinions but united in our love for each other,' he wrote. 

'I hold this as a possibility for America too. Can we disagree without hating our opponents? Can we restore civility and respect to public discourse? I think we can.'

Additionally, his campaign announced on Thursday he has qualified for the presidential ballot in the battleground state of Michigan. 

As an indepedent candidate, Kennedy must meet with requirements of each state to be listed on the ballot.  

Thursday's endorsement caps Biden's three-day campaign swing in the critical battleground state, where polls show he and Trump are essentially tied. Each man needs the state to win the White House.

But it also shows how seriously Biden's re-election campaign sees Robert Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy as a threat to the president's quest for a second term. 

Polls have indicated that Kennedy could draw support away from Biden - enough to make a difference in the swing states that will decide the next president.

Kerry Kennedy made clear the family was endorsing Biden so Trump would not win a second term. The family has called Robert Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy 'dangerous.'

'This is the most important election of my lifetime,' she said. 

'We are up against Donald Trump who says he's going to be a dictator on day one, who lays claim to overturning Roe V. Wade, who has said he wants to change the constitution in order to go after his enemies and his critics. The list goes on and on and on. So we must elect President Biden, and that is where all our energy has to be.'

Many members of the Kennedy clan joined President Joe Biden at the White House for St. Patrick's Day - and splashed the above photo across social media

Many members of the Kennedy clan joined President Joe Biden at the White House for St. Patrick's Day - and splashed the above photo across social media

Maria Shriver joined Biden at the White House in March for an event on women's health

Maria Shriver joined Biden at the White House in March for an event on women's health

Biden has long emphasized his admiration for the Kennedy. He's cited Robert F. Kennedy Sr. as a personal inspiration in his political career. A bust of the former attorney general and senator sits in the Oval Office. 

Additionally, John F. Kennedy was the nation's first Irish Catholic president; Biden is the second. 

The Kennedy clan have signaled their support for Biden for months but Thursday marks their formal endorsement of the president.

Last month, nearly the whole clan joined Biden for a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House, splashing a picture with the president across social media.

Kennedys even serve in Biden's administration: Joe Kennedy III is Biden's envoy to Northern Ireland, Caroline Kennedy is ambassador to Australia, and Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the widow of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, is ambassador to Austria.

Two of the most prominent members of the family - Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver - will not be at Thursday's event. 

The Biden campaign told the New York Times that it was due to their nonpolitical professional roles. 

Maria Shriver has made her support of Biden clear. She has co-hosted many women's health events with Jill Biden, including one last month at the White House. 

But there will be many, many, many Kennedys on stage. 

Joe Kennedy III, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, will be there. And Robert Kennedy Jr.'s siblings Joseph, Rory, Kathleen, Maxwell and Christopher will also be on hand to endorse Biden.

Kerry, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, will led the family's endorsement. 

'I can only imagine how Donald Trump's outrageous lies and behavior would have horrified my father, Robert F. Kennedy, who proudly served as attorney general of the United States, and honored his pledge to uphold the law and protect the country,' Kerry Kennedy will say, according to her prepared remarks released by the campaign.

'Daddy stood for equal justice, human rights and freedom from want and fear. Just as President Biden does today.' 

Many Kennedy family members have questioned why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is challenging a sitting Democratic president

Many Kennedy family members have questioned why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is challenging a sitting Democratic president

Many Kennedy family members have disavowed RFK Jr. for his skepticism about vaccines and talk of conspiracy theories. They also have publicly questioned why he would challenge a sitting Democrat.

They also criticized him for an ad that a super PAC supporting RFK Jr. ran during the Super Bowl. The ad closely resembled one supporting John F. Kennedy, his uncle, during his 1960 bid for the White House. 

Later, RFK Jr. apologized to his relatives, writing on X that he was sorry if the spot 'caused anyone in my family pain.'  

He has tried to downplay the lack of family support.

'I have a big family, about 105 cousins on the last time we counted,' he told CNN a few weeks ago. 'I have a big family. I don't know anybody in America who's got a family who agrees with him on everything.'

After Thursday's endorsement event, President Biden and members of the Kennedy family will join supporters and volunteers at a grassroots organizing event, the campaign said. 

Later in the day, members of the Kennedy family will make calls and knock on doors on Biden's behalf.