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Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, had some harsh words for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after announcing his official bid for Congress on Wednesday. Schlossberg, a Democratic influencer and the son of Caroline Kennedy, entered the race to fill an open seat in New York City’s 12th congressional district after longtime congressman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) announced in September that he will not seek reelection in order to pass the torch to the next generation. In the first interview since entering the political sphere, Schlossberg harshly criticized President Donald Trump and his decision to choose Kennedy as a member of his cabinet. “He’s so obsessed with the Kennedys, and the Kennedy name and the Kennedy brand, that he caged one and put it in his cabinet, a rabid dog in his cabinet,” Schlossberg told MSNBC. “Put a collar on my cousin, RFK Jr., and has him there barking, spreading lies and spreading misinformation.” Schlossberg, who became one of the first members of his family to lambast Kennedy, went on to call the health czar “a dangerous person” who is “making life and death decisions.” “You don’t just have to take my word for it — now we have an actual record to go on," Schlossberg said, pointing to Kennedy’s firing and replacement of all experts on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel and layoffs of around a quarter of the HHS workforce. Schlossberg, 32, went on to claim: “I don’t think it takes a genius to know that the Trump administration is the most corrupt in American history. And I don’t know who’s paying [Kennedy], but I know that what he’s saying isn’t making anybody healthier or safer, and that the American people should know, when he barks, who’s actually talking.” Schlossberg first took to Instagram late Tuesday to announce his campaign, arguing in a video post that there is a “crisis at every level,” including among the cost of living, health care and education. “We deserve better, and we can do better, and it starts with the Democratic Party winning back control of the House of Representatives,” Schlossberg said in the announcement. “With control of Congress, there’s nothing we can’t do. Without it, we’re helpless to a third term.” Schlossberg has amassed a large social media presence, with 736,000 followers on Instagram and over 837,000 followers on TikTok, where he frequently gives hot takes and takes aim at the Trump administration. Schlossberg also spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
