After Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services in February, we wanted to understand how the most famous family in Democratic politics was dealing with the fact that one of them was suddenly serving the Trump administration as it went after many of the institutions the family had helped build over decades. Our latest cover story tries to understand that dynamic, as well as who the Kennedy family even is in 2025. (My colleagues made this handy family tree and infographics to help.)

I spent much of the past six months talking to some of the more than 100 Kennedys living today, as well as people who have known and worked with them over the decades. Many members of the family didn’t want to talk to me—or would only do so off the record—but all of the conversations helped me understand the complications that come with being part of a famous family suddenly made infamous in a new and unexpected way, and how they are all thinking about their place in modern American politics and society. As it often has, the story of the Kennedy family has plenty to tell us about America today. 

Ask me anything about how I reported this story and how a magazine cover comes together; the makeup of the modern Kennedy family and the Kennedys’ place in American politics today; and how they’re reacting to RFK Jr. I’ll be on around 12 p.m. ET to answer your questions. 

Proof: https://imgur.com/a/PTFoX5w

The AMA is now over; that’s all for me! Thanks everyone for joining today and for reading the piece.

I'm Reeves Wiedeman, features writer at New York magazine, and I just wrote the magazine's latest cover story about how the extended Kennedy family is dealing with RFK Jr. Ask me anything!
byu/newyorkmagazine inpolitics

11 comments

  1. From your conversations, did you get the impression that more Kennedy members would continue to come out against RFK Jr? Based on the current lines drawn (thanks for the graphics!), it seems like his support is already pretty shallow, so it definitely feels plausible that he’d continue to encounter vocal opposition as more and more Kennedy institutions are gutted.

  2. Why do you think Americans are so fascinated by dynasties and the Kennedy family more specifically?

  3. Hi Reeves, thanks for doing this AMA.

    RFK Jr. polls somewhat less badly than other prominent Cabinet officials (a CNN poll showed his net favorability at -7 points, while Rubio was at -10, Vance at -11, and Hegseth at -14). This spread in favorability is despite the fact that RFK Jr. is killing significantly more people domestically than even our Secretary of Defense. Is this attributable more to his personal political brand, or is a greater contributor the Kennedy family’s appeal among ‘ancestral Democrats’ (who have residual fondness or nostalgia for the family despite mostly voting GOP these days)?

  4. I saw that Jack Schlossberg has made multiple social posts about the piece and seems displeased by it. What is your reaction to that and can you tell us more about what your conversation with him was like when reporting?

  5. What would you say to an audience that doesn’t think this information will have any significance change on American politics?

  6. Did any family members talk about how conspiracy theories — or just plain old theories at this point — about JFK’s assassination might influence RFK Jr.’s political ideology?

  7. You look like a Kennedy. Would you say that was a conflict of interest during the reporting process? Also do you ever visit Miami?

  8. Hi Reeves! Thanks for reporting.

    You mentioned many Kennedys would only speak off the record — what were they most concerned about revealing publicly, and how did you navigate building trust with such a media-savvy family?

  9. Is RFKJR   the only Kennedy in public service right now ? Why have the Kennedy’s stop going to public service now ? 

  11. What made a former highly respected environmental advocate turn out this way?

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