Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unleashed a strong critique of his former party during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, alleging that Democratic policies have led to soaring chronic illness rates and a decline in American well-being. Speaking to a crowd of Trump supporters, Kennedy explained that his departure from the Democratic Party was due to a stark shift away from the values he once associated with it.
“It’s no longer the party of Martin Luther King, of Robert Kennedy, of John Kennedy,” Kennedy said, reminiscing on an era he described as focused on “peace, constitutional rights, civil rights, and freedom of speech.” In a direct appeal to voters, Kennedy outlined what he sees as a striking departure from the party’s legacy of defending middle-class values and individual freedoms.
Kennedy went on to express concern about public health, pointing to the striking statistic that 60% of Americans now suffer from chronic disease. He contrasted this with the era of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, when only 6% of Americans faced chronic illness. “When my uncle was president, we spent zero on chronic disease,” he said, highlighting how current healthcare costs related to chronic illnesses now exceed $4.3 trillion, more than five times the U.S. military budget.
In a sweeping criticism, he characterized today’s Democratic Party as beholden to “Big Pharma, Big Food, and Big Chemical,” entities he argues are responsible for health crises impacting American families. He noted that 77% of American boys cannot qualify for military service due to chronic illness diagnoses, painting a grim picture of the country’s future.
Kennedy argued that the Democrats now represent powerful corporate interests rather than everyday Americans. “It’s the party of Wall Street, of big banks, of big data, of big tech, of military contractors,” he said, noting that the Kamala Harris campaign recently received a $50 million contribution from Bill Gates. He claimed that the endorsements from figures like former CIA officials, John Bolton, and Dick Cheney illustrate the party’s alignment with entities he views as antithetical to the party’s former values of transparency and peace.
Kennedy’s address at Trump’s rally underscores the growing dissatisfaction among some voters with the political establishment, and his blunt language resonated with the crowd. By distancing himself from his former party, Kennedy is positioning himself as a candidate focused on accountability and health reform, rallying support among those who feel let down by the status quo.
.@RobertKennedyJr‘s full speech at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally. pic.twitter.com/pmtJS5gRMy
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 27, 2024