Rory Kennedy on Decision to Denounce Brother Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Presidential Campaign: “I Felt Compelled to Speak Out, Which I Didn’t Want to Do”The Oscar nominated documentarian arrived at the Sundance Film Festival ahead of the world premiere of her four-part HBO series 'The Synanon Fix.'
Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey at Thursday's Sundance opening night gala. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty ImagesnoneLast October, White House hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a decision to switch parties in his presidential bid by exiting the Democratic party and running as a third-party Independent. The move was quickly denounced by members of his own family, including Oscar-nominated documentarian Rory Kennedy, who joined her siblings in posting a family statement.
“The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country. Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment. Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country,” read the Instagram post signed by Rory Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy II and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a group that totals four of the 11 children shared by Ethel and Robert Kennedy.
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Rory happened to be in Sundance on Thursday night, where The Hollywood Reporter caught up with her on the red carpet ahead of the festival’s opening night gala fundraiser for the Sundance Institute. Asked about the statement, a rare move for the Kennedy siblings, Rory reiterated the bond she shares with her brother and explained why she felt “compelled” to speak out “which I didn’t really want to do.”
“I love Bobby, but I do think that his campaign and his run for presidency will draw more [Joe Biden] voters, and I worry that it’ll lead to [ Donald Trump‘s] election,” explained Rory, joined at the event by husband Mark Bailey. “I think it was important to put this statement out honestly, to just let folks know that his views don’t necessarily represent everybody in our family’s, and there’s some of them that are pretty far out there. I wanted to be on record as not being in agreement with both many of [the views] and the campaign.”
Asked whether her feelings have changed since Trump emerged victorious in the Iowa caucuses, Rory said, “I’m deeply concerned about where this country is going and that we might elect Trump again. I think it’s going to come down to probably less than 100,000 votes and could be even smaller numbers in a handful of states. Every vote matters, which is why I felt compelled to speak out, which I didn’t really want to do.”
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