The Rise of RFK Jr.: From Kennedy Legacy to Trump Nominee

The Kennedy family has, for long, been a synonym of power, wealth, and influence. For nearly a century, their influence stretched from Wall Street to the White House, and their members dominated American politics. However, across the decades, the family fortune has broken into many pockets among various descendants, and the hold on politics has considerably diminished. Now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, is poised to reclaim the cachet of the Kennedy name as Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Despite his pedigree, the finances of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. do not look quite so flashy. According to Forbes, his net worth was estimated at around $15 million, which includes assets acquired by his wife, the actress Cheryl Hines. This pales in comparison to the family fortune, of course, built by patriarch Joe Kennedy, whose clever stock market investments and early 20th-century real estate ventures seeded an empire once valued at over $1 billion. RFK Jr.'s share of the action is just a small piece of that pie, a consequence of the enormous dilution of family wealth among Joe Kennedy's 29 grandchildren.

Among Kennedy's financial assets is an inherited interest in Wolf Point-a luxury real estate venture located in downtown Chicago. It comprises two high-end apartment buildings and a 60-story office skyscraper, built on land Joe Kennedy bought in the 1940s. According to RFK Jr.'s financial disclosure, the equity he owns in the development is valued at between $1.75 million and $6.5 million. Other inherited assets include investments managed by the family's discreet Park Financial Holdings and a stake in Arctic Royalty, which oversees oil and gas leases in Texas and Oklahoma.

But RFK Jr. has not solely relied on family money. His law firm, Kennedy & Madonna LLP, has made him millions, mainly through litigation against polluters. The firm was part of the legal team that secured a $670 million settlement from DuPont in a case that inspired the 2019 film Dark Waters. However, the firm's income is inconsistent, as partner Kevin J. Madonna described it as a "roller coaster" in an email to Forbes. Kennedy has also made considerable consulting fees from other law firms, bringing in over $1.5 million in 2022 and the first half of 2023.

Kennedy's activism has also been a source of income, though not without controversy. As the founder of Children's Health Defense, an organization that campaigns against vaccines and corporate corruption, he earned more than $500,000 in salary and bonuses over the past year. The nonprofit has drawn criticism for spreading misinformation about vaccines, a stance that has alienated him from many in his own family and the broader public health community.

Apart from his professional earnings, RFK Jr. has several sources of income through his wife Cheryl Hines, who is famous for being in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2022 and early 2023, Hines received over $1 million, so she added to the family's earnings from acting. The couple owns some of their properties in the form of a six-bedroom property valued to be about $3 million in Hyannis Port and a $7 million Los Angeles home, which they bought in 2021.

Their lifestyle comes with financial liabilities. The couple has substantial mortgages on both properties: $4.5 million on their Los Angeles home and $1.75 million on the Cape Cod residence. In addition to real estate, they hold between $100,000 and $250,000 in Bitcoin, an investment Kennedy championed in a keynote speech at a cryptocurrency conference earlier this year.

Despite all these financial challenges, RFK Jr. relies on the family name to appeal to his followers and raise his political prominence. He campaigns from his family's compound in Hyannis Port, sharing stories about how great his relatives were or their legacies left after their time on earth was done. His social networking gives people a view into what life is like for RFK Jr. as it marries nostalgia with online engagement. These efforts have already borne fruit in fundraising; a recent appeal brought in $3 million within three days.

RFK Jr. is about to become the most influential Kennedy in decades as the Trump nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. This will make him be in charge of critical decisions related to public health and food policy, where he has made very controversial positions more than once. This is the opportunity for a family whose influence has dwindled only over time to regain that kind of status by restoring the Kennedy name to center stage on the national scene. Whether RFK Jr. will use the power of that office to cement his legacy or invite more controversy remains anybody's guess, but one thing is for sure: The Kennedys are hardly ready to fade into history.