by WorldTribune Staff, September 13, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comprehensively detailed the striking contrasts between today’s Democrat Party and that of his father and uncle in an address to the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas.
“Ours was a party of strong principles, of clear policies and an inspiring idealistic vision for America,” Kennedy said, pointing to JFK’s support for tax cuts, a strong national defense and opposition to communism.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addresses the Republican Midterm Convention. / Video Image
“I’m 72 years old, and for 70 years of my life I would have bet any amount of money that I would not be addressing a Republican convention,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said he attended his first Democrat convention in 1960 at six years old and later spoke at several as a keynote speaker. He described growing up in the Democrat Party of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and his father, Robert F. Kennedy.
“Ours was a party of strong principles, of clear policies and an inspiring idealistic vision for America,” Kennedy said, pointing to JFK’s support for tax cuts, a strong national defense and opposition to communism.
Kennedy said Democrats have abandoned the principles that once defined the party, particularly during the Covid era: “A Democratic Party, in short, lost its way. I mourn the fact that neither my father nor my uncle would recognize the Democratic Party of today.”
When Democrat Party leadership sabotaged his own run for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination, Kennedy said he met with Trump and his perception of him was immediately shattered: “I realized that everything that I heard about President Trump, everything I believed about him from the mainstream media was a lie. Everything.”
He described Trump as a man of “superior intelligence,” “empathy and compassion” who possessed “a near-reckless courage” to challenge entrenched interests.
The two discussed lowering drug prices, supporting farmers and ranchers, restoring law and order, eliminating corporate influence over federal regulatory agencies, restoring what Kennedy called “gold standard science,” combating government waste and addressing chronic disease.
“These conversations changed the course of my campaign and my life,” Kennedy said. “I realized that many of the foundational values of the Democratic Party, I found a new home, and it was called the Republican Party.”
“Out of his sense of fairness, after my conversation with President Trump, I tried to have the same conversation with Kamala Harris,” Kennedy said. “You think she would agree to meet with me?” he asked as the audience reacted. “Did she even pick up the telephone? No, no.”
Kennedy suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump on Aug. 23, 2024. He credited Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk with playing an “indispensable role” in bringing the two men together and paid tribute to Kirk on the first anniversary of his assassination.
Kennedy said Democrat friends subsequently warned him that trusting Trump was a mistake. He told the convention they were wrong. “President Trump has kept every single promise that he made to me without exception,” Kennedy said.
“We’re working to restore American democracy and restore the America that my uncle and father believed in,” Kennedy said, before urging voters to elect a Republican Congress to continue the administration’s agenda.
