President Donald Trump denounced Democrats as communists after self-described democratic socialists won primaries in New York this week, previewing a new emphasis for his campaigning in this year’s midterms.
While new to his recent speeches, the line of attack was similar to ones he used throughout the 2024 campaign and drew on a century-old right-wing tradition spanning the original “America First” movement of the 1930s and the investigations led by Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) in the 1950s.
Although his delivery was quiet and subdued, Trump used demonizing and dehumanizing language to describe his political opponents and gave violent warnings about their intentions.
“They’re animals,” the president said on Friday, speaking to Christian conservatives at a convention of the Faith & Freedom Coalition in Washington. “We have to stop this, this horrible thread of cancer that’s permeating our country called communism.”
Pointedly, he warned that communists often resort to assassinations, while speaking in the same Washington Hilton ballroom where a gunman allegedly tried to kill him during the White House correspondent’s dinner in April. The suspect has pleaded not guilty.
“Hopefully, we’ll have a little more pleasant experience,” Trump said of his return to the site, which also saw the 1981 attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life. Private security guards stood by the doors inside the ballroom throughout the speech, while Secret Service officials wearing tactical gear held rifles just outside the doors minutes ahead of Trump’s arrival.
The crowd of Christian conservatives offered a few polite laughs as Trump began speaking about the threat of communism — such as when he said he “would be the greatest communist in history.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, from now on, you don’t have to pay any rent,” Trump said sarcastically. “From now on, anybody wants a house, don’t worry about it. Just pick a house you want. Everybody gets free food.”
But the audience was mostly silent as he issued the most dire of his warnings, and Trump himself sounded less than enthusiastic while reading off the teleprompter about “godless” communists he claimed were overtaking the Democratic Party.
The low-key delivery was consistent with Trump’s other speeches this past week in which he sounded less fiery about the midterm contests than he has in past cycles. The president clashed with congressional Republicans this week by abruptly canceling his signing of a bipartisan bill to bring down housing costs and insisting they meet his demand to pass new voting restrictions.
Trump said communists pose a special threat to Christians, referencing violence in countries such as Nigeria, where the United Nations says communism is not a factor and most victims are Muslim.
“They will close your churches in this country,” Trump said. “They will kill your people. And that’s what they’re about.”
Trump has attacked Democrats as communists before. He often called Kamala Harris a Marxist based on her father’s economics research. He also used the term communist against New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, except during a three-month reprieve at the start of this year.
The president’s renewed focus came after Mamdani-backed candidates identified with the Democratic Socialists of America swept House primaries in New York on Tuesday. The left-wing group has ambitions to expand nationally but faces tests in upcoming primaries in Denver, Detroit and South Florida, where DSA candidates have less of a track record than in New York, different demographics in the electorate and no mayoral standard-bearer.
Trump accused Democrats of failing to resist the socialist advance. Earlier this month, moderate House Democrats started a pledge to distance themselves from the DSA by attesting their commitments to capitalism and centrism.
Forty percent of Democrats have a favorable view of the DSA, the same amount who say they haven’t heard enough to form an opinion, according to an analysis of surveys by Marquette University pollster Charles Franklin. Among all U.S. adults, 21 percent were favorable, 47 percent unfavorable and 31 percent hadn’t heard enough.
Ralph Reed, president of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, called the speech deliberate and purposeful.
“He felt like it was an important thing to say,” Reed said. Acknowledging that Trump’s current approval ratings are too low for comfort, but expressing optimism that decreasing gas prices will improve Republicans’ chances, Reed said he thought Trump’s remarks on Friday were a “good message” for the midterms.
“If we do our job and they understand there’s a contrast between a common-sense conservative and a crazy, it will definitely change these numbers,” Reed said.
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