President Donald Trump has intensified his attacks on Democrats, claiming they are being taken over by ‘godless Communists’ who pose an existential threat to the nation. This comes after the electoral success of several democratic socialist candidates in New York’s Democratic primary.

Trump’s Remarks

Trump made these comments during a gathering of social conservatives, where he warned that Democrats’ ‘communist’ policies would lead to societal collapse and possibly even violence. He also cast the struggle against communism in religious terms, referencing violence against Christians in Nigeria and warning of dire consequences domestically.

Trump’s accusations are part of his bid to portray Democrats as political extremists ahead of November’s midterms. However, the tenets of socialism, much less democratic socialism, are still far removed from the communist ideology that Trump has loudly and inaccurately portrayed as a rising threat.

Democratic Socialism

The democratic socialists rising within the Democratic Party are advocating for major policy changes within the US’ already established capitalist system. They propose a significant bolstering of the social safety net, including directing greater public funding toward guaranteeing health care for all citizens, providing more housing assistance, and relying on the government to a greater degree to lift people’s quality of life. The main tradeoff for these benefits is higher taxes, especially on the wealthy, which democratic socialists contend is necessary to ensure a more balanced and equal society.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.