Joy Reid, CNN's Abby Phillip claim Mamdani, Sanders are not 'regular' socialists but 'democratic' ones

Former MSNBC host Joy Reid and CNN anchor Abby Phillip said during a recent discussion that American voters are not afraid of socialism, while also asserting that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are not real socialists.

While talking on The Joy Reid Show, Reid and Phillip discussed the Democratic Party’s internal divide over socialism, claiming that the party wants a “moderate centrist” over liberal populists.

“They’re afraid of the left flank of their own party,” Phillip said. She then pointed to Sanders and Mamdani, both of whom identify with socialism, adding that the term itself is viewed as “scary” in politics.

Reid interjected, “But it’s democratic socialism, it isn’t regular socialism,” though she did not elaborate on the distinction between these two.

“My point is that everybody, they’re just afraid of the S word,” Philip replied. “Voters are not as concerned about these labels as I think politicians think that they are.”

She went on to suggest that populist messaging is resonating across the political spectrum, asking, “What is it about these messages that are resonating? Not just with Mamdani and with Bernie Sanders, but also with Donald Trump.”

Reid responded by claiming Trump’s policies amount to “national socialism,” saying he is “taking parts of companies and saying that the government’s gonna have a part of it.”

Mamdani, who recently won the New York City mayoral election, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. He has been outspoken in the past about criticisms of capitalism, saying he “doesn’t like capitalism.” He has advocated for a number of traditional socialist policies, including government-run grocery stores and rent control.