Unhinged Trump Calls US Progressives Communist 'Animals' Who Will 'Close Your Churches' and 'Kill Your People'

After a series of electoral victories for democratic socialists and legal blows to President Donald Trump's authoritarian agenda this week, the Republican on Friday ranted to a Christian conference that progressives—whom he called "hardcore, godless communists"—are "the most serious threat to our country since its existence, in my opinion, 250 years ago."

Trump previewed his nearly 50-minute speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition's policy conference with a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform in which he wrote: "I'd be the Greatest Communist in History. I'd give free rent, free houses, free food, everything is free. Unfortunately, after two or three years, the Country where this is taking place would fail. It always does, and then you'll start living in squalor. There will be no food, there will be no housing, there will be no Military, there will be no nothing."

In a signal that he was specifically targeting the left flank of the Democratic Party, Trump said: "They're animals! In many cases, not smart but, in some cases, they are. It's easy for them to get followers because they make promises that they know they can't keep, and the Dumocrats aren't fighting back. In many ways, they're allowing them to go their own way. They’re afraid they will lose their Election, they're afraid of conflict. They’re not smart enough or tough enough to fight this plague."

"These are not social Dumocrats, these are hardcore, godless Communists," the president continued. "Isn't it ironic, we're celebrating a very important Birthday, and instead of speaking about Christ, Freedom, and Victories of all different kinds, we're speaking about yet another threat to the Foundations of America. These ruthless Communists will attack all Religions but, in particular, Christianity—They always do. All Communist Countries attack Religions violently."

"As you know, we recently struck Nigeria, and largely ended the slaughter of their Great Christian population," he added. "They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater and, in that, they don't want to get involved. I am saving Christians throughout the World, even though we are not in those various Countries, by hitting these Terrorists violently and hard. They will close your Churches, they will kill your people. This is what they're about."

During the actual speech, Trump specifically took aim at "the communists elected in New York City recently," who he claimed "want to completely destroy the traditional American way of life," an apparent jab at a slate of candidates who won their Democratic primaries earlier this week: Claire Valdez in New York’s 7th Congressional District, Brad Lander in the 10th District, and Darializa Avila Chevalier in the 13th District.

By contrast, US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a democratic socialist who ran for president in 2016 and 2020, called the trio's victories proof that Americans "are sick and tired of status quo politics" and "want to end the corrupt campaign finance system, which enables billionaires to spend huge amounts of money to elect candidates who will represent their interests and go to war against working-class people."

All three campaigned on progressive policies including more affordable housing, Medicare for All, stronger union protections, and an end to US military support for Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians—and they were backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who continued delivering on his campaign promises on Thursday, when the NYC Rent Guidelines Board approved a two-year rent freeze affecting roughly a million apartments.

While Trump complained about that NYC development in his Friday speech, others have celebrated it. Melanie D'Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, which advocates for universal single-payer healthcare, said that "the real threat Zohran Mamdani poses is to the career politicians who've spent decades making promises, then making excuses, then telling people to vote harder next time. He's showing people that elected officials can actually do things that help them in their everyday lives."

Shortly before Trump's swipe at the New York progressives running for Congress, he claimed that left-leaning Democrats "want to resume the transgender 'mutilization' of our children." In addition to attacking lifesaving gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, the president has restricted abortion access and signed legislation that's already led to millions losing insurance coverage.

Meanwhile, Mamdani on Friday announced a $15 million plan to expand access to gender-affirming care for youth and adults across the city, which includes a direct care access fund, a call and text line, and funding for research. He said that "as the federal government attacks transgender people and attempts to intimidate patients, families, and providers, New York City is stepping up."

Despite Trump's claim that the Democratic Party establishment isn't fighting back against ascendant progressives and democratic socialists, Axios reporting from Thursday suggests centrist Democrats are, in fact, gearing up to do so—and over a dozen have endorsed the "Promise to America" manifesto, emphasizing their support for capitalism, "fiscal discipline," and law enforcement.

Ripping the manifesto, D'Arrigo said: "'Centrism' is just performative compromise devoid of critical thinking, policy, or ideology. It’s a political vehicle that gives permission to do nothing in service of protecting a status quo that benefits large corporate donors and special interest groups who fund both parties."

In addition to serving the corporate interests that bankrolled his return to power, Trump has also served himself during his second term, growing the wealth of his family by billions of dollars and even accepting a luxury plane from Qatar.

Trump has also made a range of other moves that demonstrate his contempt for US law—from pardoning donors and other supporters, including insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol, to weaponizing the Department of Justice against his enemies, to carrying out multiple illegal military actions, such as his invasion of Venezuela and abduction of its president, the ongoing war on Iran, and deadly bombings of boats his administration claims were trafficking drugs.

The president's violent and authoritarian agenda has faced some setbacks in court this week: Federal judges ruled against the administration's policy pushing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests at courthouses, as well as a pair of Trump executive orders that attacked voting rights.

However, those cases are ongoing, plus another federal judge issued lengthy prison sentences for a group of activists who protested outside an ICE detention center and were falsely accused by the administration of being members of a nonexistent "North Texas Antifa Cell." Trump has also continued his assault on voting rights this week, scrapping plans to sign a bipartisan housing bill in a bid to pressure Congress to pass the so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.

With the November elections just over four months away, Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, also took Trump's Friday Truth Social comments as a threat, saying, "This sounds a lot to me like Trump laying the groundwork to steal the midterms."