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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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.

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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. 

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.

DALLAS, Texas — The 30-minute U.S. military operation that removed Nicolás Maduro from power has helped clear the way for a sweeping expansion of Venezuela’s battered energy sector, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, sharing that the country’s national energy production will more than double by the end of 2027.

«Chevron is going to more than double their energy production. In fact, that national energy production in Venezuela will more than double by the end of next year from the intervention on Jan. 3 this year,» Wright told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the RNC Midterm Convention.

Wright said the military actions in Venezuela helped open the door for a major increase in oil production as the administration has increasingly taken an active role in the socialist country as part of a broader push to expand U.S. influence and investment.

U.S. forces entered Venezuela for Operation Absolute Resolve Jan. 3, capturing Maduro and his wife Flores. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attack was part of «massive joint military and law enforcement raid» and lasted less than 30 minutes.

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«You had 25 years of communist dictatorship. The standard of living has just plummeted in Venezuela. Eight million Venezuelans fled. About a million of them, and not all of them good actors, came to the United States of America. People tried to beg, borrow, bribe, anything they could to change the Venezuelan government. No luck,» Wright said. 

«President Trump is an out-of-the-box, bold foreign policy leader.

«A brief military operation, arrest two criminals and now we have leverage over the government. It’s an existing government. Are they perfect? No. But we have a lot of leverage.»

Chevron scored an investment of more than $7 billion over five years and more than double its Venezuelan oil production to 600,000 barrels per day, according to its press release.

Venezuela controls more than 300 billion barrels of crude reserves, roughly 20% of the world’s total. Despite holding an estimated 17% of the world’s oil reserves, Venezuela produces only about 1% of global output after years of political instability and deteriorating infrastructure undermined its energy industry.

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President Donald Trump takes questions from members of the press aboard Air Force One Jan. 11, 2026, while traveling from Palm Beach, Fla. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Wright said shifting the center of global energy production toward the Western Hemisphere will put the U.S. at the center and major producers, including Canada, Guyana and Mexico supplying more of the world’s oil and gas.

Millions of barrels of new Venezuelan production would be processed through U.S. refineries and produced using American rigs and infrastructure, creating thousands of American jobs, according to the White House.

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Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks to Fox News Digital at the RNC Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas. (Fox News Digital)

The administration’s emerging approach to Venezuela could use U.S. leverage with energy investment to prompt political change.

That deal comes with added importance as the war with Iran disrupts oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The average U.S. price for regular gasoline rose to about $4.22 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA, up from roughly $3.19 a year earlier.

«We’re solving a 47-year conflict with Iran. We cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran. This is a nation sounding death to America and doing everything they can to implement it. But we’ve massively grown United States natural gas exports, good for our economy, good for the world economy,» Wright said.