U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used the Republican National Committee’s Midterm Convention in Dallas to deliver a sharp criticism of his former political party, arguing that the Democratic Party has moved far away from the principles associated with his father, Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy.

Speaking before Republican supporters, Kennedy described his political break with the Democratic Party as part of a much deeper ideological shift in American politics. He framed the current political divide as one between “common sense and communism,” reflecting a broader Republican message at the convention portraying Democrats as increasingly influenced by the political left.

Kennedy invokes his family’s political legacy

Kennedy said his father and uncle represented a Democratic Party that stood for strong principles, working Americans, individual liberties and limits on centralized government power.

He argued that the party of his family’s generation would be difficult to recognize today, saying he “mourns” the fact that neither his father nor his uncle would recognize the modern Democratic Party.

His remarks carried particular significance because Kennedy spent decades associated with Democratic politics before launching his own presidential campaign and eventually endorsing Donald Trump.

Religious freedom and constitutional rights

Kennedy also criticized what he views as government restrictions on individual freedom, including issues surrounding religious liberty and personal choice.

His remarks were presented within a broader argument that Americans should be able to exercise their constitutional rights without excessive government interference. The U.S. Constitution’s protection of religious freedom is contained in the First Amendment, which protects the free exercise of religion.

A wider Republican attack on Democrats

Kennedy’s speech came as Republicans used their first-ever midterm convention in Dallas to portray the 2026 elections as a fundamental political choice between conservative principles and what party leaders describe as increasingly radical Democratic policies.

Other Republican speakers similarly used language centred on communism, socialism, traditional values and the role of religion in American public life.

The convention is part of the Republican campaign effort ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with control of Congress at stake. President Donald Trump has urged Republican voters to treat the elections as a referendum on his administration and to turn out for GOP candidates across the country.

Kennedy’s appearance highlighted the continuing political realignment around Trump, while also underscoring the unusual trajectory of a member of one of America’s most prominent Democratic political families now campaigning alongside Republicans.

His message in Dallas was ultimately framed around a central argument: that the political battle facing the United States is no longer simply between traditional left and right, but between competing visions of freedom, government power and America’s political future.

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