Kaitlan Collins pushes back on Trump rhetoric: Democratic socialism ‘is not communism’
Key takeaways
- While Democrats themselves have been wrestling with what Tuesday night means for the direction of their party, socialism, much less democratic socialism, is not communism, she said.
- She is referring to the string of Democratic primary victories in New York on Tuesday from democratic socialists backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D).
- Collins noted that Trump had become increasingly focused on the New York races, staying awake until after 2:30 a.m. on the night of the primary and posting about the race on social media.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Link copied by Finya Swai - 06/27/26 2:27 PM ET Link copied NOW PLAYING CNN s chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins pushed back on President Donald Trump s rhetoric about the rise of democratic socialism in the U.S., which Trump has incorrectly conflated with communism, following several victories from progressive House candidates in New York primaries.
During The Source with Kaitlan Collins on Friday, the CNN anchor aired remarks Trump made earlier that day at the annual Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference, where he described democratic socialists as hardcore Godless communists and the most serious threat to our country since its existence.
Collins challenged the president s border apocalyptic comments that America could become a communist nation.