At the Republican Midterm Convention on Thursday night, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, delivered a nearly 30-minute address that drew raucous applause as he recounted how Democrats had turned their backs on Americans after 70 years of involvement with the party.
Kennedy criticized the Democratic Party for abandoning its core values during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating: “The party of ‘my body, my choice’ forced citizens to wear masks.”
“In the pandemic,” Kennedy said, “I watched the Democratic Party turn against every one of its essential values, its principles, and all the policies that defined my party.”
He accused Democrats of moving away from gold-standard research in favor of industry-sponsored, agenda-driven science produced by “corrupt and captured regulatory agencies.” Kennedy also alleged that the party censored hundreds of scientists under the guise of stopping misinformation, pushed social distancing measures, and eliminated religious freedoms while keeping liquor stores and big-box retailers open as “essential” services.
Kennedy noted his social media channels were blocked at the start of President Joe Biden’s term, which he attributed to Democrats abandoning “freedom of speech.”
Recalling his uncle Ted Kennedy’s role in passing Title IX, Kennedy criticized Democrats for turning away from “real women,” who should have a “safe and guaranteed” spot in sports.
Kennedy stated that these examples, among others, changed his political perspective: “It was no longer about Republicans vs. Democrats or left vs. right. Rather it was ‘sane vs. insane.'”
He added that Democrats had promoted only one worldview: hating President Trump. Kennedy referenced the day Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, noting that the president called him hours later to discuss the incident and kept every promise made.
Kennedy also credited Charlie Kirk with playing a “critical” role in bringing him and Trump together, stating he believes “Charlie is looking down on all of us now” — a reference to the anniversary of Kirk’s assassination on September 10.
