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Former U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III (D-Mass.) slammed the Democratic Party for being out of touch with voters at an Institute of Politics forum on Thursday night, saying liberals’ defense of “the status quo” alienated Americans in the 2024 elections.

“People said, ‘I can’t make ends meet. You’re defending a system that literally is exploiting me. Don’t do that,’” he said.

Kennedy, a relative of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy Jr. ’40 and descendant of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy ’48, was joined on stage by National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President and CEO Derrick Johnson and former New Orleans mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu for a conversation about regaining ground the party ceded in the 2024 election and challenging polarization at the local level.

The speakers were all critical of the Democratic Party for dropping the ball on economic issues and turning their backs on members of the working class.

“When you ask them about their life, they basically say, ‘Look, while you’re out there trying to save democracy, can y’all save me a couple dollars?’” Landrieu said of his conversations with former Democrats who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.

Kennedy, who served as special envoy to Northern Ireland under President Joe Biden, said Trump has performed political “jujitsu” to turn the Democratic Party into defenders of the establishment.

“We were always a party that was trying to make it better, not defending the status quo,” he said. “All of a sudden, we’re defending the status quo. Like, that ain’t a good place to be.”

Since he left Capitol Hill in January, Kennedy has been focused on the Groundwork Project, a non-profit he started in 2021 that supports local organizations challenging right-wing dominance in the deep South. He said the Democratic Party should reinvest in meeting the needs of everyday voters.

Kennedy pointed to a summer camp for youth in Mississippi that relies on funds from a single Navy veteran’s pension fund as an example of local efforts worth putting Democratic campaign coffers toward.

“Democratic Party, you want to figure out a pathway forward? Fund that guy — and find the 10,000 other guys out there, gals that are out there, doing that work, and fund them,” he said.

Johnson said the “democratic political business model” — where politicians reach voters through consultants and ads rather than real conversations — is responsible for disuniting the liberal base.

“Being political is about talking to people about policy issues that would improve the quality of life, so they can make informed decisions around their choices,” he said.

But Johnson added that Trump had made those conversations more difficult by weaponizing public debates to distract from his agenda. He specifically cited Trump’s rhetoric around diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

“The social construct of race and people’s otherness have been so weaponized to distract and distort from what’s really taking place,” Johnson said.

Landrieu said conservatives have conflated DEI with a lack of qualification, which he said was hypocritical given Trump’s cabinet. He specifically called out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a staunch anti-DEI voice in the Trump administration, for his lack of experience in military leadership.

“Pete Hegseth is not qualified,” Landrieu said. “He’s a DEI hire.”

Correction: October 10, 2025

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that former U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III is a descendant of President John F. Kennedy ’40. In fact, Joe Kennedy is a member of the Kennedy family but is not descended from John F. Kennedy.

—Staff writer Elise A. Spenner can be reached at elise.spenner@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @EliseSpenner.

—Staff writer Tanya J. Vidhun can be reached at tanya.vidhun@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @tanyavidhun.