Joe Kennedy III on Friday publicly demanded that his cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resign, calling him "a threat to the health and well-being of every American" in a blistering social media post that was viewed more than 1.2 million times. The rebuke came a day after RFK Jr. testified before the Senate Finance Committee on President Trump's 2026 health care proposals in a hearing described by participants as contentious.
Kennedy's demand — "He must resign," his post said — represents a rare and sharp public split in one of the nation's most storied political families. The message escalates a feud that has simmered since RFK Jr. publicly embraced President Donald Trump and accepted the HHS post under an administration plan dubbed "Make America Healthy Again."
RFK Jr.'s appearance before the Senate Finance Committee focused on the administration's 2026 health care proposals, and lawmakers pressed him on elements of the plan and his role in implementing it. The hearing intensified scrutiny of his policy positions and his ties to the Trump White House, prompting the open-family criticism from Joe Kennedy, a former Democratic congressman.
The public rebuke follows earlier fractures within the Kennedy family. In 2024, five of RFK Jr.'s siblings issued a joint statement calling his endorsement of Mr. Trump "a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story." That statement marked one of several sharp private and public disagreements among relatives over political alignments and public advocacy.
The dispute between cousins mirrors a broader tension in American politics as members of historically Democratic political families and institutions respond to realignments that accompanied the Trump era. RFK Jr.'s appointment to HHS and his adoption of the administration's health agenda have drawn both conservative support and criticism from Democrats who see the move as a break with family and party traditions.
Kennedy's social media post and the renewed family criticism add political pressure to RFK Jr.'s tenure at HHS, but there was no immediate response to Joe Kennedy's demand from the secretary or from the Department of Health and Human Services. The White House also did not immediately comment on the family dispute.
As the Kennedy family feud unfolds publicly, it underscores how personal relationships intersect with high-stakes public policy and partisan divides. The high-profile nature of the participants and the timing — immediately after a headline-making Senate hearing — have amplified attention on both RFK Jr.'s policy agenda and the internal dynamics of one of the country's best-known political dynasties.
The coming days may see further public statements from family members or political allies, and lawmakers are likely to continue questioning HHS leadership as the administration advances its health care proposals. For now, the public rebuke from Joe Kennedy III has made the familial split another visible fault line in the nation's ongoing political debate.