Politics
Trump ramps up anti-communist rhetoric targeting Democrats ahead of midterms
Voter interviews and cable tracking suggest the president's political framing resonates with the conservative base while media mentions of socialism rise.
The short version
- President Donald Trump is escalating claims that the Democratic Party has been overrun by communists and radical leftists as November's midterm elections approach.
- Republican primary voters in South Carolina cited concerns over socialism and the influence of the Democratic Socialists of America following recent victories by progressive candidates.
- Data shows mentions of socialist and communist terminology spiking on conservative cable network Fox News since May.
Key facts
- President Donald Trump characterized Democrats as communists and radical left lunatics while campaigning for Senate candidate Darline in South Carolina ahead of a Republican special runoff.[The Guardian]
- Darline won the Republican runoff to select a nominee for the US Senate seat following the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham.[The Guardian]
- Analysis of Fox News transcript databases shows the words socialist or socialism appeared nearly 6,000 times on the network since January 1, while communist appeared over 1,700 times, with mentions increasing sharply starting in May.[The Guardian]
- Brian Leiter, a law professor at the University of Chicago, argued that Trump and conservative media outlets operate in tandem to amplify anti-communist themes.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- The extent to which anti-communist messaging will influence swing voters outside deep-red Republican districts in the upcoming midterm elections remains undetermined.[The Guardian]