Bradley Whitford criticizes Cheryl Hines for being 'silent' as RFK Jr. backs Donald Trump
Bradley Whitford is speaking his mind in light of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Cheryl Hines standing by her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he endorses Donald Trump for president.
"Hey @CherylHines, way to stay silent while your lunatic husband throws his support behind the adjudicated rapist who brags about stripping women of their fundamental rights," Whitford, 64, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Saturday.
Trump, who has had more than a dozen sexual misconduct accusations levied against him, last year was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation of advice columnist E. Jean Carroll; however, the jury in the civil trial decided Carroll failed to prove he raped her in 1996.
Whitford continued: "Gutsy. Great example for the kids. Profile in courage."
The Emmy-winning "The West Wing" and "The Handmaid's Tale" actor's comment was shared along with a re-post of a video Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign posted, in which former President Trump thanked the "six very brave, brilliant" Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Whitford's condemnation came a day after Kennedy – the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy – announced he was dropping out of the race and backing Trump's campaign.
Hines took to social media to praise his staffers shortly after Kennedy's campaign's announcement. Unlike her husband, she did not endorse any candidate or political party.
"Over the last year and a half, I have met some extraordinary people from all parties — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. It's been my experience that the vast majority of all parties are truly good people who want the best for our country and for each other," she wrote.
Kennedy responded to her post with his own message of gratitude: "I am so grateful to my amazing wife Cheryl for her unconditional love, as I made a political decision with which she is very uncomfortable. I wish this also for the country — love and unity even in the face of disagreement. We will need that in coming times."
Whitford has been vocal in his support for Vice President Harris's presidential campaign and often posts anti-Trump content.
RFK Jr. confirms Cheryl Hines felt 'discomfort' about Trump endorsement
In a conversation with TMZ on Tuesday, Kennedy addressed Hines' stance on his relationship with Trump as well as Whiftord's online criticism.
"I would say that Cheryl's reaction was the opposite of encouraging," Kennedy told TMZ.
"She went along with it because she loves me and she wanted to be supportive of me," he said of his Trump endorsement, adding she perceived her feeling "trepidation and discomfort."
When asked by Harvey Levin to clarify whether Hines doesn't support Trump, Kennedy replied: "Yes, she's a lifelong Democrat, and the idea of supporting Donald Trump as president was, like I said, it's something that she would've never imagined, that she never wanted in her life, that, I think, causes her a lot of discomfort."
"She was not somebody that was clamoring for this move. I would say the opposite was true."
He noted that, out of "compassion," Hines urged him to speak with the former president after Trump's assassination attempt. She also was present at a "subsequent meeting with President Trump," he added, "mainly to make sure no hasty decisions were being made."
RFK Jr. accuses Bradley Whitford of 'bullying'
"It's a template for bullying," Kennedy told TMZ when asked what he thought of Whitford's X post.
"Here you have a guy, instead of challenging me, he's attacking my wife. Who would do that? What kind of man would do that? Why wouldn't he talk to me directly?" he said. "I'm happy to engage him, and I'm happy to explain why I do what I do."
Kennedy's family has disavowed the former Independent presidential candidate for supporting Trump.
His sister, Kerry Kennedy, said in a statement co-signed by four other family members that "Our brother Bobby's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It's a sad ending to a sad story."
"I understand that they're troubled by my decisions," Kennedy told "Fox News Sunday." "But, you know, I think we all need to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other."
Contributing: Rachel Barber
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bradley Whitford criticizes Cheryl Hines as RFK Jr. backs Trump