You’ve probably seen the headline floating around the darker corners of the internet. It sounds like something straight out of a political thriller: JFK called Joe Biden a traitor.
It’s a heavy accusation. In the world of American politics, few names carry the weight of John F. Kennedy. When you link that legacy with a sitting or former president like Biden, people stop scrolling. They want to know if there was some secret beef, a lost diary entry, or a dramatic confrontation in a mahogany-lined room in D.C.
But here’s the thing. History is messy, and the internet is even messier.
If we’re talking about the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, the timeline basically makes this impossible. JFK was assassinated in November 1963. At that time, Joe Biden was a 20-year-old student at the University of Delaware. He wasn't even on the political radar. He was just a guy trying to get through his junior year and maybe playing a bit of football.
The "traitor" narrative doesn't actually come from the father. It comes from a bizarre, often misunderstood incident involving the son—John F. Kennedy Jr.
The 1994 "Traitor" Letter Explained
The real story involves a letter sent to then-Senator Joe Biden’s office in August 1994.
At the time, Biden was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was the architect of the now-infamous 1994 Crime Bill, a piece of legislation that has been picked apart by every political faction for decades. The bill was controversial then, and it’s controversial now.
In the heat of that legislative battle, a letter arrived. It wasn't a polite "disagree with your policy" note. It explicitly called Biden a "traitor" and included death threats.
The twist? The letter was signed "John F. Kennedy Jr."
Naturally, this triggered a massive investigation. The FBI and Capitol Hill Police didn't just shrug it off. They treated it as a serious threat against a high-ranking official. However, as the investigation unfolded, the "JFK Jr." connection started to crumble.
Fact vs. Fiction: Who Actually Wrote It?
FBI records and archival documents from the Clinton Presidential Library tell a very different story than the conspiracy theories suggest.
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While the signature said "JFK Jr.," the evidence didn't match the man. Investigators recovered four latent fingerprints from the letter. None of them belonged to John F. Kennedy Jr.
The FBI eventually labeled the author as an "UNSUB"—an unknown subject. They basically concluded it was an impostor using a famous name to add shock value to their vitriol. It’s a classic tactic: if you want a Senator to notice your anger, you sign it with the name of a political prince.
Honestly, the idea that JFK Jr. would send a signed death threat to a colleague his family generally respected is a bit far-fetched. The Kennedys and Bidens have a long, tangled history, but it's usually been one of alliance, not assassination threats.
Why This Myth Persists
Why do people still search for JFK called Joe Biden a traitor?
Part of it is the way we consume information now. We see a snippet of a podcast—like the "Fatal Voyage" series that dug into JFK Jr.'s death—and we lose the nuance. People hear "JFK Jr. letter," "Biden," and "traitor" in the same sentence, and suddenly the myth takes on a life of its own.
There's also the political climate. In an era of extreme polarization, finding a "smoking gun" that links a modern leader to a historical icon's disapproval is gold for internet trolls.
But if you look at the actual relationship between the families, it’s much more boring. Or, well, as boring as the Kennedys get.
- The 1972 Campaign: When Joe Biden first ran for the Senate as a 29-year-old "long shot," he didn't have much support. But Teddy Kennedy—JFK's brother—took an interest.
- The Tragedy: After Biden's wife and daughter were killed in a car accident shortly after his election, it was Teddy Kennedy who helped persuade him to actually take his seat in the Senate.
- The Endorsements: Fast forward to 2024, and the vast majority of the Kennedy family stood on a stage in Philadelphia to endorse Joe Biden.
If the patriarch of the family or his son truly thought Biden was a traitor, that endorsement wouldn't have happened. The Kennedys are many things, but they are fiercely protective of their brand.
Examining the Claims of "Treason"
When people use the word "traitor" in this context today, they aren't usually talking about 1994 letters anymore. They're usually using it as a rhetorical sledgehammer regarding Biden’s foreign policy or border decisions.
It’s important to distinguish between "someone called him a traitor in a fake letter" and "this is a factual historical event."
- The 1994 Letter: Proven to be an impostor.
- JFK Sr.'s Opinion: Non-existent, as they didn't know each other.
- Modern Rhetoric: Political hyperbole, not historical fact.
The Complexity of the 1994 Crime Bill
If we want to get into why someone would have sent that letter in 1994, we have to look at the bill itself. Biden’s role in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act is his most debated legacy.
It put 100,000 new police officers on the street and funded billions for prisons. Critics say it fueled mass incarceration, particularly in Black communities. At the time, however, many city leaders were begging for help with rising crime rates.
The person who wrote that letter wasn't necessarily a "liberal" critic of the bill. In 1994, the "traitor" label was often thrown around by those who thought the government was overstepping its bounds or by those who felt the bill didn't go far enough in certain directions.
Regardless of the motive, the "JFK" connection remains a total fabrication.
What You Should Take Away
It’s easy to get sucked into the "hidden history" rabbit hole. Sometimes there really is a secret memo or a lost tape. But in the case of JFK called Joe Biden a traitor, the "secret" is that there is no secret.
It was a hoax letter sent by an unidentified person three decades ago.
When you see these claims, look for the source. If the source is a blurry screenshot or a "trust me" TikTok, it's probably junk. Real history lives in the FBI vaults and the library archives, and those records have been clear for years: JFK Jr. didn't write it, and JFK Sr. was gone before Biden ever held office.
Next Steps for Verifying Political History
If you want to dig deeper into the actual relationship between the Kennedy and Biden families, or if you're curious about the FBI files on 90s-era political threats, here’s how to do it right:
- Search the FBI Vault: The FBI maintains an online reading room (The Vault) where you can look up declassified files on famous figures and specific incidents.
- Check the Clinton Presidential Library: Since the investigation happened during the Clinton years, many of the internal memos regarding the security of Senators are housed there.
- Look for Multi-Source Confirmation: If a quote like "Joe Biden is a traitor" was actually said by a Kennedy, it would be in a biography, a recorded interview, or a newspaper of record (like the NYT or WaPo), not just a random blog.
Verify the timeline first. In politics, time is the ultimate fact-checker. If the person was dead when the event supposedly happened, you can safely move on.