Donald Trump has spent months telling voters that Democratic candidates are communists coming to take their churches, their savings, and their country. This week, he is hosting the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party for a state dinner. Despite all his campaign rhetoric about the dangers of communism, the largest communist government on the planet is getting the red carpet treatment in Washington this week.
Trump reaches for this attack on Democrats because he cannot defend what he has done to working families:
- More than 94 times since late June, in speeches and on social media, Trump has told voters communism is on the ballot, going so far as to brand Democratic candidates “hardcore, godless communists.”
- Under Trump, consumer prices are up 3.4% over the year, gasoline is up 27.4%, and fuel oil is up 52%.
- Trump started a war in the Middle East that voters have turned against, with 71% saying his administration has no clear strategy for ending it and more than 60% calling the decision wrong.
- After Trump and congressional Republicans let health care tax credits lapse, 5 million people dropped their coverage as premiums roughly doubled.
- Trump signed a spending bill that slashed federal SNAP funding by an estimated $186 billion over the next decade, and more than 3.5 million people have already lost food assistance as states implement its stricter eligibility rules.
- Grocery prices have climbed 3.8% over the past year, the sharpest increase in nearly three years, while health insurance premiums for millions of Affordable Care Act enrollees are rising by an average of 114% this year, forcing some families to choose between coverage and other bills.
“If Trump actually believed what he says at these rallies, he would not be welcoming Xi Jinping as if he were the head of one of our closest democratic allies and not the communist leader of an adversarial nation,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “Trump isn’t afraid of communism; he’s afraid of the next inflation report and Americans facing high prices across the board as the midterm election draws closer. He’s decided the cheapest thing he can hand working people before November is a scare story. It is the one thing in this economy his administration has not raised the price on.”
Published: Sep 23, 2026