The Kennedy family showed off their Irish green for Joe Biden at back-to-back White House events, an affront to fellow Republican Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is making an independent bid for president.
Nearly the entire clan joined the president for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Sunday, posting a photo with Biden on social media, and Maria Shriver led the charge for the president at a women’s health event on Monday.
Many Democrats fear that RFK Jr.’s candidacy could hurt Biden in crucial battleground states in November, taking votes away from the president and handing Donald Trump a victory. The Kennedy clan made it clear they did not support their family member, calling RFK Jr.’s candidacy “dangerous.”
Maria Shriver joined President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday for his signing of a new executive order on women’s health.
Many members of the Kennedy clan joined President Joe Biden at the White House on Sunday for St. Patrick’s Day — and spread the photo above on social media.
Maria Shriver praised Biden several times Monday for his commitment to women’s health.
And, while she didn’t mention Trump by name, it was clear who she was referring to when she said: “This is a commitment that can only be put forward in a motion by a president who respects women, sees women, understands women and who wants the best for women who want us all to reach our highest potential.
Shriver was present as Biden signed an executive order to increase government funding focused on women’s health, spending $200 million next year to better understand issues such as reproductive issues and conditions. quarantine and menopause.
She worked with Jill Biden on women’s health issues. Vice President Kamala Harris was also in attendance at the ceremony.
“This is the first time a president of the United States has signed an executive order that mentions the word menopause,” Shriver joked to much applause.
Biden, for his part, has basked in the glory of Boston’s prominent Irish-American family.
“Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day here at the White House and today is Women’s History Month – two of the best days of the year,” he said Monday.
And he praised the women on stage with him: “I’m smart enough to know when you have Jill, Kamala and Maria – some are the most intelligent and accomplished women in the room that you should shut up, as my mother says .”
Many other Kennedys were present Sunday when Biden celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. Kerry Kennedy – one of RFK Jr.’s sisters – posted a photo of the family on X. It was taken on the White House colonnade and the president is in the foreground.
“It is not enough to wish the world to be better, we must make it better,” she wrote. “President Biden, you make the world a better place. »
Biden responded: “From one proud Irish family to another, it was good to see you all back at the White House.”
Many other family members shared the photo, including Joe Kennedy III, who is Biden’s envoy to Northern Ireland.
“Little family reunion this afternoon!”, he wrote.
Many members of the Kennedy family have disavowed RFK Jr. for his vaccine skepticism and talked about conspiracy theories.
Many members of the Kennedy family have disavowed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his vaccine skepticism and cited conspiracy theories.
President Joe Biden kisses first lady Jill Biden
Jill Biden and Maria Shriver watched President Joe Biden sign the executive order
At his Monday event, Biden focused on issues related to women, a group his campaign is courting as he attempts to seek a second term.
The White House called the new executive order the “most comprehensive” action taken by a president on women’s health research.
First lady Jill Biden is leading both efforts to engage women voters and the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.
“Joe is the first president to make investing in women’s health research, in your health – in our health – a top priority for the White House,” she said. “On behalf of all of us – Thank you Joe.”
Women make up half the population, but their health has long been understudied. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the federal government required women to be included in federally funded medical research.
Biden’s order comes at a time when women’s health issues are dominating the news: after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, a series of anti-abortion laws were enacted in several states.
And, following the ripple effect of this decision, other women’s reproductive issues have come under fire. In Alabama, for example, the future of IVF was called into question statewide after a judge’s ruling.
Democrats see attacks on women’s health as a way to rally this important voting bloc behind the president next November.
“There is so much at stake right now and we are all faced with the question: what kind of country do we want to live in. Do we want to live in a country of freedom, liberty and the rule of law or a country of disorder?, fear and hatred? Each of us has the power to answer that question with our feet and with our vote,” Harris said Monday.
Women played a vital role in Biden’s winning electorate in 2020, giving him 55% of their votes.
Black and suburban women were the cornerstone of Biden’s support, while Donald Trump had a modest advantage among white women and a larger share of white women without college degrees.
Jill Biden has taken the lead in courting female voters for her husband and attacking Trump for his support of anti-abortion laws.
Biden’s order will push federal agencies to use federal funds to research health problems and diseases that disproportionately affect women.
As part of this, the National Institutes of Health will increase its investments in small businesses focused on women’s health by 50 percent. The Department of Defense also plans to invest $10 million to learn more about cancers and mental health issues affecting women on active military duty.
Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy Prime Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of Northern Ireland meet with President Joe Biden and Joseph Kennedy at the White House
The NIH is also launching a new effort around menopause and treating menopause symptoms that will identify research gaps and work to fill them, said White House adviser Jennifer Klein.
In his State of the Union address, Biden called on Congress to dedicate $12 billion to women’s health initiatives.
“Women make up more than half of our population, but research on women’s health has historically been underfunded,” Biden said at the time.
In November, Biden put first lady Jill Biden in charge of his women’s health initiative, signing the order in a ceremony in the Oval Office.
The first lady announced $100 million in funding for women’s health last month.