Photo: Alamy
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned Sunday that a growing wave of Democratic socialist candidates, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, poses a threat to the American system of government, agreeing with President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of the movement as Republicans and Democrats prepare for the midterm elections.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday” with Shannon Bream, Johnson said candidates aligned with Mamdani are emerging in Democratic primaries across the country and argued voters should take the trend seriously.
Johnson described Democratic socialism as “a serious threat to our whole system of government,” portraying the movement as a fundamental challenge to the nation’s political traditions rather than a routine ideological shift within the Democratic Party.
Invoking Cold War-era rhetoric, Johnson contrasted former President Ronald Reagan’s warnings about communism abroad with what he said is a similar ideological movement within the United States.
“The barbarians are inside the gate,” Johnson said, adding that today’s Democratic Party differs significantly from earlier generations. He also said some Democratic lawmakers privately believe they are struggling to match the enthusiasm, fundraising and grassroots support driving the party’s progressive wing.
Johnson’s remarks followed President Trump’s Independence Day address on the National Mall, where Trump characterized democratic socialism as a resurgence of communism and urged Americans to oppose it.
The president compared the movement to a cancer that needed to be removed during remarks delivered after severe storms delayed the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
The Republican focus comes after several primary victories by progressive candidates in New York, which have changed the state’s congressional landscape and increased pressure on Democratic leaders.
Mamdani, who became New York City’s first Democratic socialist mayor in January, saw three candidates he endorsed win Democratic primaries on June 23, defeating incumbent Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Dan Goldman.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who supported the defeated incumbents, urged Democrats to focus on the general election after the primaries, saying on MSNBC that “the enemy is Donald Trump and MAGA extremism.”
Candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America are also competing in prominent races in Colorado, Michigan and Wisconsin, continuing a movement that gained national prominence during Bernie Sanders’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.
