White House Rips Jack Schlossberg’s ‘Ridiculous’ Launch, Defends RFK Jr. and Trump Cabinet
The White House delivered a sharp rebuke Wednesday to Jack Schlossberg, President John F. Kennedy’s only grandson, after he launched a congressional bid filled with personal attacks on his cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and President Donald Trump.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Schlossberg’s remarks as unserious and baseless, taking particular issue with his claims that the Trump administration is “the most corrupt in American history” and that RFK Jr. is a “rabid dog” who spreads “lies and misinformation.”
“I don’t even think such ridiculous comments are worth responding to,” Leavitt said during her regular briefing. “Obviously, those things are not true.”
Leavitt went on to praise RFK Jr.’s performance as HHS secretary, saying, “Secretary Kennedy is doing a phenomenal job bringing transparency and the gold standard of science back to our healthcare system.”
The backlash comes after Schlossberg, 32, launched his campaign to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), using his MSNBC debut to torch both the Trump White House and his cousin. The son of Caroline Kennedy portrayed RFK Jr. as a public health menace and accused Trump of installing him in the Cabinet because of his fixation with the Kennedy legacy.
“[Trump] is 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.”
He doubled down on his attack, adding: “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 [RFK Jr.], but I know that what he’s saying isn’t making anybody healthier or safer.”
Schlossberg has long criticized RFK Jr., but his launch signaled a more aggressive stance as he tries to capture Manhattan’s Midtown, Upper East Side, and Upper West Side districts in a crowded Democratic primary. Still, the White House’s swift pushback makes clear that Schlossberg’s bid is being watched at the highest levels—and not favorably.
RFK Jr., who once ran against Trump but now serves in his Cabinet, remains a controversial yet high-profile figure, especially as he has overhauled the CDC and NIH and taken a sledgehammer to the pharmaceutical industry and federal health bureaucracy. His supporters argue he’s restored scientific freedom and medical choice, while critics—like Schlossberg—accuse him of fueling vaccine skepticism and gutting public health.
Schlossberg’s campaign appears to be leaning into the family legacy of JFK, casting himself as a modern torchbearer for liberal ideals while denouncing what he views as a betrayal of that legacy by his cousin.
If elected, Schlossberg would represent one of the wealthiest and most influential districts in the country. But he’ll have to survive a fierce Democratic primary—and the growing scrutiny that comes with invoking not only the Kennedy name, but taking aim at one of the most talked-about members of the Trump administration.