Trump takes aim at DSA, says 'this is a serious threat,' warns socialism leads to living in squalor

President Donald Trump warned that the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) represents a growing threat to the country during a Monday rally in Milford, Michigan, telling attendees that those looking to “destroy” the country should look no further than DSA-backed candidates.

Trump said Democrats aligned with the DSA were moving past socialism and toward communism, arguing that their policies would damage the American economy and institutions. “But they're siding with the radical left communists taking over the party,” Trump said. “They want, in other words, the normal socialists who can destroy a country too. They're not going fast enough. Do you remember, like, in one of my State of the Union speeches, I said, we will never be a socialist country. But I was right. We're going to be a communist country,” he continued. “That's what they want. They skipped socialism.”

Trump called communism “the greatest threat to our country in history,” comparing it to World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11. “This is a serious threat because they're going to give, promise all sorts of things,” Trump said. “In one year, the country will be absolutely bankrupt. You'll live in squalor. You'll live in fear. You won't have police. You won't have firemen. You won't have anybody.”

Trump’s comments come as the DSA has gained influence within Democratic politics, with a number of candidates backed by the organization defeating more establishment Democrats in recent primary elections.

The comments come after the DSA's leadership showed their hand during a Fox News interview with DSA National Co-Chair Megan Romer, who was asked bluntly by Shannon Bream about several positions included in the organization’s platform. During the interview, Bream asked Romer to answer “true or false” on a series of DSA positions.

Romer responded “true” when asked about abolishing the Senate, agreed with replacing the presidency and Supreme Court “as we now know them.” She also said “absolutely” when asked whether the organization supports abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). When asked if the DSA supported “abolishing borders and giving amnesty to anyone currently in the U.S. illegally,” Romer replied, “As a long-term plan, yep.”

Romer also supported defunding the Pentagon, saying “absolutely,” and agreed that abolishing prisons “at least in large part” was among the group’s long-term goals. When asked about government ownership of most large corporations, she again responded, “Yeah, absolutely.”

“The establishment Democrats should be worried about the voters and about what the voters think and about what the constituency thinks, and … right now they have not been delivering, and our candidates are and have been, and it’s resonating with voters,” Romer said.

“I also have been told a lot of times by Democrats, don’t vote third party. It’s wasting your vote,” she continued. “So, we run on the Democratic ballot line where it makes sense. We run independents sometimes where that is a viable possibility, but it’s a ballot line. And what matters is what the voters think. And the voters are overwhelmingly choosing our candidates.”

The comments come as DSA-backed candidates have recently found success in Democratic primaries, including Claire Valdez in New York’s 7th Congressional District, Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York’s 13th Congressional District, and Brad Lander in New York’s 10th Congressional District. Several state-level candidates, including Aber Kawas, Samantha Kattan, David Orkin, Eon Huntley, Christian Tate, and Illapa Sairitupac, have also won races with DSA support.