Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, has addressed rumors about his sexuality and confronted his past as an Internet troll after announcing his run for Congress.
After years of building the profile of a social media star, Schlossberg, 32, has decided to throw his hat into the ring to succeed Rep. Jerry Nadler in Manhattan’s 12th District next year, in a seat widely considered one of the “crown jewels” of New York politics.
Heads were turned by the announcement from Schlossberg, who has largely made a name for himself outside of the political realm as a social media personality who would hang out with Anna Wintour and Ryan Murphy, post his skits to Taylor Swift songs and troll politicians to his $1.7 million following. followers.
“I’m not for everybody,” Schlossberg, 32, said The New York Times.. “You know, my mom always used to say that. She said, ‘Jack, you’re a little different than the other guys.’ And she wasn’t wrong.”
When asked how he spends his free time, Schlossberg replied: “I row, take ballet lessons. I don’t really party. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke.”
Schlossberg is the son of Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and artist/designer Edwin Schlossberg. / NBC / Nathan Congleton / NBC via Getty I
He also addressed the rumors about his sexuality and spoke NOW, “People are often surprised. I’m very straightforward,” he told the publication, adding that he would “one day” like to get married and have children.
The 32-year-old also admitted that he previously tried exclusive dating app Raya but it didn’t catch on because “I went on dates for a while and they didn’t really help me find love.”
Referring to his confrontational posting style and quirky sense of humor, Schlossberg said his attention-grabbing antics were a necessary response to the changing attention economy in today’s social media ecosystem.
“The internet is a machine for destroying nuance – there’s never room for anything. You have to be very controversial to break through,” he said.
“Ever since I started making videos, people called me crazy, but there was a strategy and a method to what I was doing,” he explained.
“First of all, if someone thinks I’m crazy because they saw one of my videos, that means they saw one of the videos, and that means they got information about the Trump administration and politics that they might not have gotten otherwise. Second, I trust people. I trust people to understand what’s going on.”
It’s that philosophy that Schlossberg launched his campaign on Tuesday, taking a direct swipe at Donald Trump and writing on Instagram that the country is facing a “corruption crisis.”
“Two hundred and fifty years after the founding of America, and our country is at a tipping point,” he announced in a video.
“This is a crisis on all levels: a cost-of-living crisis supported by the Big Beautiful Bill … This is a crisis of corruption. The president made almost a billion dollars this year. He’s picking winners and losers from the Oval Office. This is cronyism, not capitalism,” he added.
Schlossberg kicked off his congressional campaign Tuesday with a swipe at Donald Trump. / Michael Loccisano / Getty Images for Empire State Re
Schlossberg sees Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York as good for his campaign and the vision of the Democratic Party. But with Andrew Cuomo just briefly kicked out of public life, there are questions about whether the public is eager for another political family in decline.
“When it comes to Jack, New Yorkers just voted to end a political dynasty with a storied past and a troubled present,” said Assemblyman Alex Bores, who is also running for the open seat. NOW.
“We’ll see how they feel about the next one.”
Schlossberg is the son of former ambassador Caroline Kennedy and artist and designer Edwin Schlossberg. He previously served as a surrogate for then-President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and in 2024. a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and was also appointed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s America 250 Commission earlier this year.