Caroline Kennedy Backs Son Jack at His First Campaign Event Days After Sister’s Terminal Diagnosis

Caroline Kennedy attended her son Jack Schlossberg’s first campaign event in Manhattan, days after his sister Tatiana revealed she has acute myeloid leukemia. Jack, 32, launched his campaign for New York’s 12th Congressional District on Nov. 11 and has used a deliberately provocative social media strategy that his mother has defended. Tatiana said she was diagnosed after giving birth in May 2024 and that family members have been deeply involved in her care. If elected, Jack would follow his grandfather JFK’s early path into the U.S. House.

12:05 AM, 12/04/2025Politics

Caroline Kennedy Backs Son Jack at His First Campaign Event Days After Sister’s Terminal Diagnosis

Caroline Kennedy made a rare public appearance at an Upper East Side campaign gathering for her youngest son, Jack Schlossberg, in early December, attending one of his first public events since launching a bid for New York's 12th Congressional District.

At the event

Photos and video shared on Jack Schlossberg's Instagram Stories on Dec. 2 show Caroline, 68, seated near the front as her 32-year-old son delivered remarks about Manhattan's historic role in American democracy and the borough's potential to help restore public trust in the country. The gathering was hosted by Charles Myers, founder and chairman of Signum Global Advisors.

Campaign and approach

Jack, a Harvard Law graduate and outspoken Democrat, announced his House campaign on Nov. 11 after Rep. Jerry Nadler announced his retirement. He has spoken publicly about priorities such as addressing the cost of living, fighting corruption and responding to what he describes as a constitutional crisis: "There is nothing our party can’t do to address costs of living, corruption and the constitutional crisis that we’re in," he has said, while also arguing that control of Congress is essential to make progress.

In recent years Jack has built a sizable social media following as he defends the legacy of his grandparents, John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy. His online presence has been deliberately provocative at times — using surprising or controversial posts to cut through the noise — an approach Caroline said she admires because he has thought through the strategy and is willing to accept the consequences of taking risks.

Family health and support

The campaign appearance came days after Jack's older sister, Tatiana Schlossberg, revealed in an essay dated Nov. 22 that she has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Tatiana, 35, said doctors discovered the disease after she gave birth to her second child in May 2024 when an abnormal white blood cell count prompted further testing. She wrote that she was previously active and felt healthy, and that doctors later told her she had less than a year to live.

Tatiana described the family's quiet, hands-on support: Caroline, her husband Edwin Schlossberg, and the siblings have been helping care for Tatiana's children and accompanying her to treatments over the past year. "They have held my hand unflinchingly while I have suffered, trying not to show their pain and sadness in order to protect me from it," she wrote, calling their presence a profound gift.

What’s next

The family was aware of Tatiana's illness before Jack launched his campaign, and Caroline has publicly expressed support for his political ambitions. If elected to the House, Jack would follow the same institutional path his grandfather John F. Kennedy took early in his political career, beginning at the congressional level.