Jack Schlossberg’s Campaign Staffers Claim He Ghosts Them for Naps, Swimming in Hudson River

Jack Schlossberg‘s campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York’s 12th Congressional District is making waves for all the wrong reasons.

Staffers working for the 33-year-old candidate claim he has frequently disappeared during the workday — sometimes for naps, and other times to swim and paddleboard in New York City’s Hudson River.

Multiple current and former campaign aides spoke to The New York Times for an exposé published on Thursday, May 14, describing a chaotic workplace in which Schlossberg allegedly left the office without warning, leaving staff scrambling.

According to the report, the pattern began on the very first day of his campaign. Three people familiar with that day said Schlossberg abruptly left because “he needed a nap.”

“He then effectively disappeared for the day, leaving his team reeling,” the report claimed.

Former staffers said the same behavior continued in the weeks that followed. According to sources, Schlossberg “would regularly blow off weekly strategy meetings,” and “made a habit of disappearing for long stretches with little notice or explanation.”

Those unexplained absences may have included one of his favorite pastimes. The report noted that Schlossberg spends “most days” swimming or paddleboarding in the Hudson River.

Canvassing coordinator Jorge Muñiz Reyes revealed he left the campaign just last week. He compared it to a “dollar-store flower bouquet.”

“The colors might be nice to look at for a few days,” he said, “But since the flowers lack roots, they can’t last very long.”

Other former campaign staffers, who spoke anonymously, said turnover has been unusually high. According to the Times, Schlossberg has cycled through two campaign managers, two field directors, and a “rotating cast” of consultants and “a handful” of advisors in the six months since entering the race.

Some aides alleged that John F. Kennedy‘s grandson has fired employees abruptly. Others claimed he occasionally forgot to formally let staff go, leaving them in limbo for weeks.

Current campaign manager Paige Phillips downplayed the criticism, saying that “this stuff should not surprise anyone working in New York politics.”

She added that Schlossberg is “decisive and honest about what (or who) works, and what doesn’t.”

Phillips also pointed to the personal loss Schlossberg has been dealing with, saying he is navigating the campaign “amid a deeply, deeply personal tragedy” following the death of his sister, Tatiana Schlossberg, who died of cancer in December 2025.