Actor Billy Baldwin, the younger sibling of Alec Baldwin, over the weekend ripped into Robert F. Kennedy Jr., criticizing him for what he called “a cynical, hypocritical betrayal” of his political values after the former presidential candidate brought his campaign to an ignominious end and endorsed Donald Trump.
Baldwin, 61, said in a lengthy X post on Sunday evening that he’d known Kennedy, 70, for decades. They have been photographed together over the years; Baldwin was spotted alongside Kennedy and daughter Kyra LeMoyne Kennedy at Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas’ wedding ceremony in New York City in 2012.
“We were friends,” he wrote. “I loved his politics. His speeches inspired me. We were neighbors. Our kids were friends. We carpooled the kids to school for a few years.”
Robert Kennedy, Jr. (C), daughter Kyra LeMoyne Kennedy (L), and actor Billy Baldwin (R) attend Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas’ wedding ceremony at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on June 30, 2012.
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Baldwin said that their relationship had since shifted, and that he now “completely” disavowed and disassociated himself from Kennedy.
The actor went on to denounce Kennedy for running for president in the first place, saying it was “a Hail Mary” by a “desperate” man with political ambition who “saw the door rapidly closing.
“For him to end his pursuit of the presidency and endorse Trump is not only a betrayal of the values and traditions of the Kennedy family but it is also a cynical, hypocritical betrayal of his own political beliefs and personal feelings about Trump which have been publicly documented for years and years,” Baldwin wrote.
“His endorsement of Trump demonstrates his political cowardice. He has sold his political soul and desecrated the historic work and legacy of his father Robert and his uncle President John Kennedy.”
Kennedy’s decision to back Trump also incensed his family, who have condemned him for his hateful COVID-19 rhetoric and “dangerous” candidacy numerous times over the past year. Five of his eight surviving siblings released a new statement following Kennedy’s endorsement on Friday calling it “a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.”
They added, “It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
Kennedy publicly offered Trump his support almost immediately after mothballing his campaign, appearing alongside him at a rally in Glendale, Arizona a few hours later. Walking onstage to Foo Fighters’ ‘My Hero,’ Kennedy was greeted by thunderous applause as he hailed Trump as someone with the ability to free Americans from “corporate corruption.”
William Baldwin and Robert Kennedy Jr during Court TV and the Creative Coalition Host a Screening of “Memento” at City Cinemas in New York, NY, United States, circa 2000.
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It marked a stark departure from Kennedy’s previous remarks about the former president. In 2018, the political scion published an op-ed in NBC News castigating Trump’s policies as a “discredit to democracy.”
When exactly his stance shifted remains unclear. But Baldwin, the second-youngest brother of the clan of actors, has been publicly calling Kennedy out since at least last April, when he announced his candidacy.
In an X rant at the time, Baldwin took Kennedy to task for his incessant philandering during his marriage to second wife, Mary Richardson, a friend of Baldwin’s. Richardson died by suicide in 2012 in the midst of the couple’s divorce.
