Trump Attacks Socialism Because He Knows Americans Want It
The current freak-out by Donald Trump, J. D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller, and other right-wingers about democratic socialism is quite rational. In socialism, they see a formidable foe.
Recent attacks from Donald Trump and his allies show that they understand that the Left, not the center, is their most formidable foe. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
On The Joe Rogan Experience Wednesday, Rogan and J. D. Vance got reflective about socialism, a phenomenon that has been particularly troubling Donald Trump and his allies, especially after a string of electoral victories by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) last month.
Vance agreed with Rogan — a 2020 Bernie Sanders supporter who voted for Trump in 2024 — that the socialist movement attracted many “kind and empathetic people” but also that its popularity was cause for concern. Vance said socialism was “crazy” but an understandable response to Americans’ economic struggles. “Extreme wealth inequality does create problems,” he said.
On DSA specifically, Vance said, “I think their ideas are crazy and . . . will lead to a very totalitarian place. “But,” he added, “I tend to be a bit more empathetic. Why are young people attracted to socialism in twenty-first-century America?” He recalled Charlie Kirk pointing out, right before his death, “if you don’t give young people a stake, if you don’t give them ownership, if you don’t give them a sense of the American dream and of possibility in the future, they’re going to become socialists.” Vance continued:
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