Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered a forceful warning about Islam during his appearance at the 2026 Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas Thursday, arguing that the ideology poses a threat to the United States and Western democracy.

Kennedy said that the Democratic Party had once viewed Israel as an important ally in confronting Islamist extremism but argued that this position has changed.

“They used to see Israel as America's most critical frontline ally in fighting the toxic ideology of Islamism, which by its own accounts is waging an existential WAR against our country and against Western liberal democracy!” Kennedy said.

He went on to accuse Islamist governments and movements of using authoritarian practices against their own populations while threatening Western nations.

“It's an ideology that has subjugated, impoverished, and tyrannized, and tortured the people of Palestine and the people of Iran, and they openly promise to do the same to us,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy’s comments came as he addressed Republicans during the second night of the two-day convention in Dallas. The former Democrat has become a prominent member of President Donald Trump’s administration after ending his 2024 independent presidential campaign and endorsing Trump.

His remarks also reflected the foreign-policy debates surrounding Israel, Iran and the broader Middle East. Kennedy’s characterization of Islamism as an existential threat to the United States and Western democracy was presented as his assessment of the ideology and its stated objectives.

The secretary has increasingly aligned himself with Trump’s administration and its “Make America Healthy Again” agenda while also speaking on issues beyond his responsibilities at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy’s comments followed a broader Republican focus at the convention on national security, the Middle East, and the administration’s foreign-policy agenda. President Trump is scheduled to deliver the convention’s closing address.