One of the most shocking aspects of this Super Bowl was not the abundance of beadazzled roller skaters, the overtime nail-biter game, or the enticing commercial advertisements, but rather a presidential campaign video. The nostalgic Kennedy jingle that suddenly filled millions of rooms throughout the country took many by surprise as the well known 1960 John F. Kennedy campaign video streamed this past Sunday. This stunt was used to support the 2024 presidential campaign of Robert Kennedy Jr., the nephew of the beloved JFK.
Seemingly identical to the original, except for the photoshopping of Robert Kennedy’s face over JFKs, the video received an incredible amount of backlash from the Kennedy family and their supporters for the blatant plagiarism. The Kennedy’s have stated their strong disapproval of Robert Kennedy’s health care views and don’t wish for him to abuse his family’s legacy to gain support. His candidacy has become increasingly controversial; he has been recorded promoting vaccination skepticism as well as anti-semitic sentiments that discourage family support.
“My cousin’s Super Bowl ad used our uncle’s faces — and my Mother’s. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views. Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA,” Kennedy’s cousin Bobby Shriver said on X following the release of the ad.
American Values Super PAC — or political action committee — paid 7 million dollars for the commercial spot during the 2024 Super Bowl according to CBS News. Speculators have suggested this decisive measure was beneficial to his campaign due to how vague it was; this video did not present any of Robert Kennedy’s political stances, instead choosing to associate with the Kennedy brand in hopes of inciting the intense support that was bestowed upon his uncle. Robert quickly took to social media in response to his family’s complaint, saying he was “sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain.” He proceeded to avert the blame by claiming, “The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff,” said Kennedy’s post. “I love you all. God bless you.”
Robert Kennedy’s recent decision to run as the independent party enticed Americans that are neither in support of the Democratic or Republican candidates of Biden or Trump. The decision between an 82 year old incumbent and a formally impeached president could make the third party candidate with the last name “Kennedy” quite enticing. Although a smart marketing ploy, the intense criticism in response to the ad calls into question whether stealing his uncle’s campaign video hurt or helped Robert Kennedy’s reputation among voters.
