Keith Boykin
Role at the time: Author and former Clinton White House aide
Condemned
Statement summary
Boykin calls it sad that Trump and Vance are doubling down on the ad's message late in the campaign. He rejects a comparison with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s relatives speaking out against him.
“How can you compare that to a family squabble among the elite Kennedys? It's just not even close to being comparable. And I think it's sad that Republicans -- I'm so glad that Peter's standing up on this tonight, and I assume that Scott will too. But I just -- I think it's sad that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are doubling down on this message in the last two weeks of a campaign when people don't care about these divisive issues. They care about jobs and healthcare and gas prices.”
Read the original text (opens in a new tab)CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip: October 21, 2026 · CNNOpening discussion, 22:00-22:10 ET
CNN rush transcript of a panel discussion of the Acton advertisement and Vance's defense of it. Rush transcripts may be revised.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
Boykin rejects a comparison offered in the ad's defense and calls it sad that Trump and Vance are doubling down on its message. His criticism reaches the use of the ad itself, beyond the analogy.