Donald Trump stood at a podium in Des Moines last night, beads of sweat catching the camera lights, and launched into a tirade that would have made Joe McCarthy blush. He called them 'godless communists,' 'Marxist monsters,' and 'the greatest threat to American liberty since the Soviet Union.' The problem? The people he was screaming about are Democrats. Actual, real, run-of-the-mill Democrats who just won primary elections in progressive strongholds.
Trump's speech was a response to a string of primary wins by candidates he's labeled as 'radical leftists.' But here's the kicker: none of them are actual communists. Not one. The word 'communist' doesn't appear on any official Democratic Party platform, nor does it describe the policy proposals of the winners. They're progressives. Some might even be called democratic socialists—a label that still makes moderate Democrats twitch—but that's a far cry from the gulags and secret police Trump invokes.
This isn't just politics. It's a symptom of a deeper disease in American discourse: the weaponization of labels to short-circuit debate. Call your opponent a communist, and you don't have to argue about healthcare or taxes. You just have to make people afraid.
The Boogeyman Strategy
Trump isn't new to this game. In 2020, he warned that Joe Biden was a 'Trojan horse for socialism.' In 2024, he claimed that 'the radical left has taken over the Democratic Party.' Now, with primary season heating up, he's turning the dial to 11. The term 'communist' is being thrown around like confetti at a parade. But let's be clear: there is no communist candidate on the Democratic ticket. There isn't even a viable democratic socialist in the top tier. What we have are Democrats who want universal healthcare, free college, and action on climate change—policies that are mainstream in most developed countries.
The genius—or the tragedy—of Trump's strategy is that it works on a segment of the electorate that doesn't fact-check. For them, the word 'communist' conjures images of bread lines and secret police. It doesn't matter that the actual politicians are moderates by global standards. What matters is the feeling of threat. And Trump is a master of manufacturing fear.
“The word ‘communist’ is being thrown around like confetti at a parade. But there’s no one on the Democratic ticket who fits that label. Not even close.”
The Media's Complicity
Let's not let the media off the hook. When Trump says 'godless communists,' outlets run headlines that repeat his framing: 'Trump Warns of Communist Infiltration.' They add caveats, sure, but the damage is done. The image sticks. A study by the Harvard Kennedy School found that even when news organizations correct false claims, the original lie continues to shape public opinion. So when Trump says 'communist,' and the media says 'Trump says communist,' the public hears 'communist.' It's a one-two punch that leaves reality on the canvas.
Some reporters have started pushing back. During a press conference last week, a White House correspondent asked Trump to name a single communist policy proposed by any Democratic primary winner. His response? 'They all want to take away your guns and give you free healthcare. That's communist.' No, that's not. But try telling that to a crowd that's already chanting 'Lock her up' at the mention of a candidate's name.
The Real Danger
The real danger isn't that Americans will confuse progressives with communists. It's that the constant Red-baiting will push the Overton window so far to the right that anything left of center becomes radioactive. Already, we see Democrats distancing themselves from 'socialism' like it's a contagious disease. Policy debates are replaced by purity tests. And the people who lose are the ones who need government action the most.
There's a historical irony here. The original Red Scare of the 1950s ruined lives and careers over baseless accusations. Today's version might be less overtly destructive—no one's getting blacklisted from Hollywood—but it's poisoning our politics in a different way. It's making it impossible to have an honest conversation about the role of government. And it's turning elections into referendums on whether you're a 'real American' or a 'godless communist.'
Trump knows this. He knows that the primary winners are not communists. But he also knows that the word is a bludgeon, not a scalpel. And he'll keep swinging it until the voting booths close.
So here's a suggestion for the media: stop repeating the lie. Next time Trump says 'godless communists,' don't report that he said it. Report that he lied. Call it what it is: a smear campaign against a phantom. The public deserves better than a political theater where the villains are imaginary and the stakes are all too real.
