Trump warns religious conservatives communism is spreading in the US
Trump told religious conservatives communism was spreading and framed it as a threat to churches and Christianity. The warning arrived as Republicans weigh whether the line will help or hurt their midterm message.
Donald Trump told religious conservatives in Washington on Thursday that communism was spreading in the United States, casting the fight as a warning for churches, Christianity and the Republican midterm map.
Speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s 2026 Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., Trump called Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates “hardcore, godless communists” and said communism was “the most serious threat to our country since its existence.” He also posted the message on Truth Social, tying it to what he described as “the recent Election of Communists in our Country.”
Trump did not name the candidates in the room, but the attack followed a string of Democratic primary wins in New York backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist. Those winners included Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York, while Janeese Lewis George, a DSA member, won the Democratic primary for D.C. mayor earlier in June. In his speech, Trump said, “They will close your churches in this country [if] they go communist, and they’re trying to,” and added that communists “will attack all Religions but, in particular, Christianity.” He also called communism a “cancer” permeating the country.
The message appears designed to activate religious conservatives, one of Trump’s most reliable blocs, by linking Democrats not just to taxes or immigration but to threats against worship and public faith. It also folds into a broader Republican midterm narrative that increasingly blends fear of socialism, school fights, and patriotic identity. Some GOP leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have echoed warnings about socialism and communism since the New York primaries, a sign that Trump’s language is not isolated to the rally stage.
At the same time, the label Trump is using does not match the ballot. There are no self-identifying communists running on the Democratic ticket ahead of the midterms, and none currently hold elected office. The Democratic Socialists of America, which Trump attacked, describes itself as the largest socialist organization in the United States, with more than 95,000 members and says it is a political and activist organization rather than a party.
That gap between the rhetoric and the candidates is what makes the line politically significant. Trump is not only attacking left-leaning Democrats; he is trying to define them as a religious and cultural menace, a frame that could shape House and Senate races if Republican candidates decide that anti-communism, rather than kitchen-table economics, is the message that best turns out conservative voters.
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