The Kennedy family (with one notable absence) joins President Biden at the White House
WASHINGTON ― To mark St. Patrick's Day, America's most famous Irishman ? President Joe Biden ? hosted the family of America's first Irish-Catholic president.
But there was one notable absence that could hardly be ignored.
A White House visit Sunday by dozens of family members of President John F. Kennedy did not include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent against Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
"From one big Irish-Catholic family to another, it’s great to have the Kennedys here," Biden said in remarks during the St. Patrick's Day celebration that also included Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Ireland.
“It’s not enough to wish the world were better, you must make the world better” @POTUS President Biden, you make the world better. Happy St. Patrick’s Day ??@vradenburg3 @Mkennedycuomo @vickikennedy2277 @amykennedy715 @pjk4brainhealt @roryekennedy @maxeykennedy pic.twitter.com/UZBcUjtEDh
— Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) March 18, 2024
After the event, Kerry Kennedy, the younger sister of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., posted a photo of the Kennedy clan at the White House with Biden kneeling in front.
"President Biden, you make the world better," she wrote. "Happy St. Patrick’s Day."
More: Kennedy family repudiates Robert Kennedy Jr. after Super Bowl 2024 ad mirrors JFK campaign
The visual served as a reminder that while Robert F. Kennedy continues his long-shot bid for the presidency, much of his family is firmly opposed to his candidacy.
Kerry Kennedy and three other siblings ? former Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, Rory Kennedy and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend ? came out in immediate opposition to Kennedy's third-party bid after he announced his independent run in October.
"Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment, Robert F. Kennedy's siblings wrote. "Today's announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country."
Joe Kennedy, grandson of Robert F. Kennedy and among those at the White House Sunday, was tapped by Biden as United States special envoy for Northern Ireland in 2022. Maria Shriver, another member of the Kennedy family, spoke Monday at the White House before Biden signed an executive order aimed at accelerating the study of women's health.
More: Donald Trump's campaign says Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. won't be his running mate pick
Biden considers Robert F. Kennedy, brother of John F. Kennedy ? a former attorney general and a U.S. senator from New York until his assassination in 1968 ? one of his political heroes. Biden even installed a bust of R.F.K. next to the fireplace in the Oval Office.
Although Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces long odds in his presidential bid, the anti-vaccine activist is polling strongly enough to be a major spoiler in battleground states contested by Biden and Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump. A USA Today-Suffolk University poll found Kennedy polling at 9% among registered voters nationally. The poll had Trump leading Biden 40%-38%.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. gets family snub as Kennedy clan visits Biden White House
