This is an adapted excerpt from the August 25 episode of “Inside with Jen Psaki.”
Rejected by Democrats and estranged from his family, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been desperate for affirmation. So desperate, in fact, that he has now joined forces with Donald Trump.
Of course, as the most prolific anti-vax conspiracy theorist in the country, Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump was long overdue. To be fair, the two have a lot in common: Both have oversized egos that cloud their judgment, both rely on disinformation to prey on people’s fears, and both use their last names to their own ends.
But for Kennedy, this show of support also marks a new act of rebellion against his family and the institutions they helped build. Although he shares his father’s name, he couldn’t be more different.
His father — the original Robert Kennedy — was driven by a genuine concern for the health and well-being of the American people. He was a champion of the disadvantaged and the vulnerable. He appealed to the better angels of men, not their worst instincts.
When it came to modern medicine, he said that those with power and influence had a duty to help those less fortunate. As Kennedy told a group of doctors in Indiana in 1968, “We must recognize that those of us who have the advantages that you and I have have a duty of responsibility to those who do not.”
In other words, Kennedy believed that it was not enough simply to “do no harm.” He believed that people who are in a position to help others also have a duty to do so.
It goes without saying that the apple has fallen far from the tree. Kennedy has not only failed in his “duty of accountability,” he has done the opposite. He has used his privilege and his name to encourage the most vulnerable Americans to turn their backs on modern medicine. He has used lies to stoke widespread fear of even routine vaccinations, including the ones that eradicated measles, mumps, and polio. If Trump and Kennedy get their way, parents will once again have to worry about their children being exposed to life-threatening illnesses at school.
But here’s the thing: Kennedy is not only insulting his father’s legacy, he is also trying to sabotage the party his family has shaped and influenced for more than six decades.
Keep in mind that his endorsement came just days after new reports showed that his candidacy had now cost Trump more votes than Vice President Kamala Harris. We should also remember that Kennedy’s political ambitions were partly funded by one of Trump’s biggest billionaire donors.
By endorsing Trump, Kennedy simply confirms what we’ve suspected all along: that his goal is to be a killjoy for the Democratic ticket. And while we still don’t know the true impact of this endorsement, we do know that the headlines shouldn’t read, “Kennedy Endorses Trump.” They should read, “Dangerous Conspiracy Theorists Join Forces.”
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This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
