President Donald Trump is warning that New York is heading in the wrong direction after a pair of Democratic Socialist candidates scored major victories in Democratic congressional primaries Tuesday night.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump reacted to the results by arguing that states and cities moving further toward socialist policies have historically paid a steep price.
“Many Communists running in badly failing Blue States,” Trump wrote. “The votes seem to have them doing quite well against each other. The bad news is that history has conclusively shown that the downtrodden States that they will soon be running will ONLY GET WORSE.”
In a separate post early Wednesday morning, the president added a broader declaration: “America the Beautiful will NEVER be a Communist Country!!!”
Trump’s comments came after state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, while Darializa Avila Chevalier, a former campaign staffer for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, pulled off one of the night’s biggest surprises by defeating five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat, who currently leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Because both candidates ran in heavily Democratic districts, the primary victories effectively position them as strong favorites heading into the general election. If elected, they would join a small but growing group of Democratic Socialists of America members serving in Congress.
At present, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan are the only DSA members in the House.
The victories also highlight the growing influence of New York City’s progressive and socialist political movements. Valdez and Avila Chevalier campaigned on a number of left-wing policy positions, including opposition to U.S. military support for Israel. Both have advocated cutting off arms sales to Israel and pushing for divestment from Israeli companies.
Valdez has also supported aggressive measures targeting landlords, while Avila Chevalier has drawn criticism from opponents for comments regarding deportation policies and her responses to questions surrounding the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The results extended beyond congressional races. New York’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter reportedly saw success in state legislative contests as well, with seven of eight endorsed candidates appearing headed for victory. That would increase the organization’s representation in Albany from nine members to fourteen.
Mayor Mamdani’s influence also appeared to grow during the election cycle. Allies of the mayor performed strongly, reinforcing perceptions that he is becoming a significant force in New York Democratic politics.
Trump, meanwhile, reserved particular criticism for former Congressman Dan Goldman, who played a prominent role during Trump’s first impeachment proceedings in 2019. Following Goldman’s defeat, the president celebrated the outcome on social media.
“Weak and pathetic Congressman Dan Goldman just lost, BIG!” Trump wrote. “I guess people didn’t like him illegally targeting President TRUMP. In any event, this jerk is finally GONE!”
