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FIRST ON FOX: Vice President JD Vance argued Thursday that Democrats have moved so far to the left that they no longer resemble the party of past Democratic presidents, branding the modern Democratic Party the “party of hatred” in a fiery convention address first obtained by Fox News Digital.
“They’re not the party of FDR or JFK. Hell, they’re not even the party of Bill Clinton anymore,” Vance said. “The Democrats are the party of hatred. They’re the party that despises America and the people who built it.”
Vance used the closing night of the Republican convention to build that charge across a series of cultural and economic flashpoints, pointing to a Democratic candidate’s attack on the nuclear family, his own clash with Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and what he cast as a broader Democratic message telling American children “who they ought to hate.”
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Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Lake Lucerne Summit at the Buergenstock resort in Obbuergen, Switzerland June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler, Pool Photo via AP)
The vice president contrasted that portrait with what he called Americans’ “birthright” — the opportunity to build a family, own a home, find meaningful work and pass a better country to their children — while honoring his late friend Charlie Kirk one year after his assassination.
On the anniversary of Turning Point USA’s co-founder Charlie Kirk’s death, Vance honored his friend.
“I was elected Vice President of the United States one year ago today, on September the 10th of last year, that good friend was taken from us when Charlie was assassinated. Now, Charlie left behind two children, two little kids. They were too young to fully understand,” said Vance.
Vance recalled Kirk’s message to young men that few callings are greater than falling in love, starting a family and becoming a father — words that have taken on new meaning for the vice president since he and Second Lady Usha Vance welcomed their son Alec in July.
Vice President JD Vance speaks with Breitbart News Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Nov. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
He used Kirk’s legacy to transition into touting what he called Americans’ “birthright” exceptionalism.
“I believe the Founders built this nation on a promise that echoes our Creator: That every American child is born an heir, born with a birthright,” said Vance. “Born with the right to inherit the blessings of this country. Not because of who their parents are. Not because of what they look like or where they come from. But because they are Americans.”
Vance used the opportunity to outline his vision for rebuilding the nuclear family, while taking shots at Democrats.
“I think about what the Democrats have said about our shared birthright as Americans, or frankly, the lack thereof in Michigan. One Democrat in particular, one candidate has said, and I quote ‘f the nuclear family.’ What are you even talking about?” said Vance.
“They come not from a desire to serve you or our fellow Americans, but they come from a very deep emptiness in the soul,” he added.
CROWD ERUPTS AS VANCE SMACKS DOWN PROTESTER WAVING MEXICAN FLAG: ‘GET YOUR A– OVER THERE’
Vance used the opportunity to outline his vision for rebuilding the nuclear family – taking shots at Democrats. “I think about what the Democrats have said about our shared birthright as Americans, or frankly, the lack thereof in Michigan.” (RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)
A protester emerged carrying Mexican and Palestinian flags, prompting Vance to respond, “What the people at home missed is that we just had a protestor interrupting us and waving the Mexican flag.”
“Well. Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there. I’ll buy you the plane ticket,” the vice president said.
Vance said the protester should have been waving the American flag, adding that it is a symbol of the fight for the American dream.
“This fall, the Democrats are running candidates who will tell your children what they’re allowed to say, how they’re allowed to live, and importantly, who they ought to hate. Because that’s what the Democrat Party is about in 2026. It’s not about you, it’s about foreign fraudsters, and it’s about who they hate,” said Vance.
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A protestor throws a Mexican flag as US Vice President JD Vance speaks during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 10, 2026. US Republicans are betting that putting President Donald Trump at the center of their campaign can rescue a party facing grim election forecasts, despite the president’s negative approval ratings. A day earlier, on the first day of the midterm convention, he promised $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Vance spoke about the economy former President Joe Biden left, pointing to housing costs and Americans competing against illegal immigrants in the job market.
“Our nation became a place where you had to be rich to enjoy what used to be the birthright of every ordinary middle-class life,” he said.
Vance touted his wins from leading the White House Task Force on fraud and calling out Democrats for “refus[ing] to prosecute the crime.”
He said the task force has found $250 billion of fraud just since he was appointed fraud czar.
Vance took aim at Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, with whom he has sparred in recent weeks after El-Sayed made comments about the second family.
“He saw me describing what a decent man and my papa was genuinely a decent and good man. He saw me talking about my papa and his work and his history and what he loved and what he cared about. And you know what old Abdul did? He asked mockingly whether I’d be willing to bring Usha back in time to meet Papa,” Vance resurfaced.
Vance said El-Sayed saw “the color of his skin, sees his background, and decides that he could never have loved my wife.”
“Abdul himself was raised by his own white step-grandparents. He knows exactly that kind of bond and what it looks like in a family, and he chose any way to say that a man like my grandfather couldn’t have love from the bottom of his heart,” Vance added.
