Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Monday he is now running for president as an independent and leaving the Democratic Party with which his famous family is synonymous. 

“People stop me everywhere — at airports and hotels and malls, on the street — and they remind me that this country is ready for history-making change,” Kennedy said during a speech outside the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. “They are ready to reclaim their freedom, their independence. And that’s why I’m here today. I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate.”

In April, Kennedy, 69, launched a bid for the Democratic nomination, but he made little headway in seriously challenging incumbent Joe Biden. According to FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average, Kennedy was trailing Biden 60% to 15%.

The son of former U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, Kennedy Jr. said he won’t be a member of any political party, leaving the Democratic Party behind.

“I haven't made this decision lightly,” Kennedy Jr. said. “It's very painful for me to let go of the party of my uncles, my father, my grandfather and both of my great grandfathers.”

But he blamed the two major political parties for contributing to a “rigged system of rancor, of rage, of corruption, of lies that has turned government officials into indentured servants for their corporate bosses.”

Kennedy Jr. noted that polls have shown about three-quarters of Democrats would prefer to see a nominee other than Joe Biden in 2024, often citing his advanced age, and that former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, faces more than 90 criminal charges.

Kennedy Jr. said he was making “a new declaration of independence” from the political parties as well as corporations, Wall Street, technology and pharmaceutical companies, military contractors and the media, promising none of them would hold sway over him if he were elected.

“We do face an entrenched political corruption and an inequality of wealth not seen in a century,” he said. “But the good news is that people like yourselves are finally fed up. Something is stirring in us that says it doesn't have to be this way.”

Kennedy Jr. said his supporters “include both pro-lifers and pro-choicers. They include climate activists and climate skeptics. And they include the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. They include people who have for years have been on both sides of the culture war.”

He called that “a hopeful sign.”

“Americans are beginning to understand for the good of our country, one cannot insist on getting one’s way on every issue,” Kennedy Jr. said. “They understand that people can disagree and still respect each other.”

While he comes from American’s most famous political family, Kennedy himself has no political experience. He is a renowned environmental lawyer, but in recent years, he’s built a reputation as an anti-vaccine activist, often spreading debunked conspiracy theories.

Last year, Facebook and Instagram banned the accounts for Kennedy’s Children’s Health Defense for spreading medical misinformation. 

Four of his eight living siblings issued a statement Monday calling Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential bid against Biden “dangerous to our country.” 

“Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment,” said Rory Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy II and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. “Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country.”

It's unclear whether a Kennedy Jr. bid could siphon votes from Biden or Trump in the general election, which polls show is currently neck-and-neck between the two candidates.