NYT Writer Confused by Trump’s Ramped-Up Trashing of Socialism: ‘Not Really a Threat’

The New York Times opinion writer Jamelle Bouie doesn’t get why President Donald Trump is spending so much time trashing socialism and communism.

Bouie argued on The Opinions podcast on July 25 that it made sense for politicians to worry about socialism in the 1950s, when he said the Soviet Union was a “viable alternative” to the USA. But he said the days of having to fear socialist regimes are long gone.

“In 2026, there’s no Soviet Union, China is nominally communist — I mean, the CCP is obviously an authoritarian formation, but like in terms of its economy, that’s capitalism, baby. And early state capitalism, right?” Bouie said. “So it’s like, what are we warning about? It’s not really a threat.”

He argued the president’s complaints about socialism are failing to land because Trump doesn’t understand two things: the first being a large chunk of Americans like socialism, with a 2025 Gallup poll finding 39% of citizens have a favorable view of it. The second issue is Trump doesn’t understand democratic socialists “connote anti-establishment, not socialism,” he claimed.

“For the public, for voters, it seems to say, ‘Oh, this is a person who isn’t an ordinary Democrat and doesn’t seem to have the same kind of ideological valence,” Bouie said about democratic socialists.

Bouie’s take comes after Trump has bashed socialism a lot recently, following several democratic socialist candidates winning Democratic primaries in June.

Two of those candidates in New York — Darializa Avila Chevalier (D) and Claire Valdez (D) — are card-carrying members of the Democratic Socialists of America, just like NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D). The mayor backed both Chevalier and Valdez in their primaries. 

Beyond its socialist economic agenda, the DSA website said it is against Trump’s “racist immigration policies” and America being allied with Israel, which it said has committed a “genocide” in Gaza. Chevalier and Valdez have also said they agree with Mamdani on the need to abolish ICE.

Soon after the primaries, Trump sardonically congratulated Mamdani on getting “solid Communists” elected. His tone shifted a few days later, when he said the communists have started to make “their move” in the USA.

“The game is on,” Trump said. “Enjoy watching!”

Trump has ripped the socialists and socialism plenty of other times recently, including when he called communism a “cancer” that must be dealt with ASAP during his Fourth of July address.

He issued a similar warning during a speech last week.

“Communism is the single greatest threat to our country in its history, including even World War I and World War II, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 — I think it’s the greatest threat that I have ever seen to our country,” Trump said. “These people are stone cold crazy.”

Bouie said he doesn’t think Trump’s attacks are working, though.

“I think that’s the strategy — look at Zohran Mamdani, look at the other candidates, look at a handful of people — they’re socialists, they’re communists, they’re scary. But I just don’t think it lands with anyone,” he argued. “Especially not when you came to office promising to lower gas and food prices and housing prices, and you haven’t done it.”

Watch above.

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