There is no shortage of pundits in the media class eager to help Americans understand the current political moment. Not many of them had over 100,000 followers on TikTok before starting their gig.
Jack Schlossberg did.
In his playful way, Mr. Schlossberg, 31, has captured the attention of his social-media-native audience. Whether that is because of his remarkable resemblance to his uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., or because of his ability to distill complex Supreme Court rulings into bite-size videos, it’s hard to say.
As one of the most prominent members of the Kennedy family, America’s most enduring political dynasty, Mr. Schlossberg has always borne some expectation of being involved in public life.
“I am inspired by my family’s legacy of public service,” Mr. Schlossberg, who is the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy, recently told Vogue. “I take that very seriously, and I want to contribute in my own way. I have big dreams, but I also know that I’m trying to make a positive impact today.”
This week, the magazine announced that Mr. Schlossberg would be a Vogue.com political correspondent. Through a publicist, Mr. Schlossberg declined to be interviewed for this article, as he was “currently focused on producing his content for Vogue,” suggesting that, despite describing himself as a “silly goose,” he is taking the role seriously.
Chloe Malle, the editor of Vogue.com, said she saw his appointment as an opportunity to influence the magazine’s readers to vote.
“Jack emerged as a staff favorite early on in this election cycle with his irreverent but intelligent takes on the political landscape,” Ms. Malle said in a statement. “We all know the stakes of this election and it is critical to Vogue that we do all we can to get our audience motivated to vote.”
Who is Jack Schlossberg?
Mr. Schlossberg is the only son of Caroline Kennedy, an author, lawyer and diplomat — she has served as the U.S. ambassador to Australia since 2022 — and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, an American artist. He grew up in New York City with his two older sisters, Rose and Tatiana.
Why is he in the headlines?
Mr. Schlossberg has a new role. On Wednesday, Vogue announced that he would write for its website as a political correspondent throughout the 2024 election. Mr. Schlossberg published an opinion piece on Tuesday, about a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Is he qualified to be a political correspondent?
That depends on what you mean by “political correspondent.” Mr. Schlossberg is a Yale graduate and holds master’s and law degrees from Harvard, so he’s certainly not for want of educational bona fides.
Mr. Schlossberg never grew up far from the publishing industry. His maternal grandmother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was a longtime book editor at Doubleday, where she worked on more than 100 titles. His sister Tatiana has written widely about climate change and the environment for The New York Times. His mother has published several books. And his uncle John F. Kennedy Jr. founded a magazine, named George, in the 1990s that he edited and published.
But if your idea of a political correspondent involves independent reportage from the campaign trenches, free from obvious partisan leanings, Mr. Schlossberg might not be your man. Like much of his family, he is heavily involved in Democratic politics, and in 2020, he delivered remarks, virtually, with his mother at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
The only two articles on the Vogue website carrying Mr. Schlossberg’s byline are both labeled “Opinion.” Future dispatches from Mr. Schlossberg are also expected to be labeled as such.
How has he been involved in the presidential race?
Mr. Schlossberg has been very vocal about the race on social media. In May, he uploaded a series of videos mocking his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running for president as an independent. Afterward, he went on the “Today” show with his mother to defend the videos.
“I love my family and I’m very proud of our legacy of public service,” he said, adding, “but I think Joe Biden is a fantastic president.”
The day after the first debate this year between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Schlossberg made a TikTok video for Vogue of his five takeaways. In the video, he said that Mr. Biden had struggled but that it was not the only thing that mattered.
What has he said about his cousin’s presidential campaign?
Mr. Schlossberg has been a harsh critic of Mr. Kennedy, calling him a distraction from what was important on “Today.” On Instagram, he called his cousin a coarse name, suggested that he was using steroids and claimed that he was “lying to us.” He depicted him as a Russian stooge and a stalking-horse for Mr. Trump.
Has he started the new job yet?
Seemingly so! Vogue published an article by Mr. Schlossberg on Tuesday in which he shined a light on a Supreme Court decision likely to overhaul the way federal agencies work by ending a longstanding legal precedent known as “Chevron deference,” which refers to a significant 1984 ruling.
Is the thirst real?
Besides coming from a political dynasty, Mr. Schlossberg also comes from a long line of heartthrobs — his maternal grandfather, President Kennedy, being one of them. (A youthful and telegenic Kennedy ushered in a new, more visual era of politics with his self-assured performance in a 1960 debate against Richard M. Nixon.) It comes as no surprise that Mr. Schlossberg has earned nicknames like “the people’s bf” on social media, and that his posts are consistently flooded with starry-eyed declarations of twitterpation. By any measure, the thirst seems to be quite real indeed.
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