President Trump on Sunday shared a video from conservative commentator Michael Savage that explicitly calls for the deportation of “hardcore communist bastards,” singling out New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The nearly 50-minute video, posted by Savage on July 4, alleges that democratic socialist candidates running under the Democratic banner are transforming the United States into a socialist state through initiatives like “free” programs.
Savage drew a stark comparison between the current political landscape and Cambodia under dictator Pol Pot. “That is exactly what Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists will do to you,” Savage said in the video. “Forget the smirks, forget the smiles, forget the bull—that it’s like Denmark and Norway. These are hardcore communist bastards who must be stopped, criminalized and deported. I’m clear as a bell on this. We will fall if they are not deported.”
The president’s decision to share the video is striking given his history with Mamdani. Trump has frequently attacked Democrats for moving toward communism as democratic socialist candidates gain ground, but he has also had moments of cordiality with the mayor. After Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral race last year, Trump hosted him for a friendly meeting at the White House.
In the video, Savage broadened his targets to include Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), calling for the deportation of “the other scum who should be criminalized and deported – I’ll send them to Uganda… before they spread the cancer.” The pundit railed against democratic socialist candidates who have recently won Democratic primaries nationwide, insisting that “every one of them must be criminalized and deported. I’m not mincing words, I don’t care what the courts say.”
Savage also blasted a recent Supreme Court ruling that upheld birthright citizenship, calling it “death to America.” Throughout the video, he repeatedly conflated democratic socialism with communism, urging the removal of such candidates from the country.
Trump has previously described democratic socialist candidates and their movement as more dangerous to the United States than both world wars and the September 11, 2001 attacks. “They use the word social democrat because it sounds so nice, but it’s really communism you’re talking about,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office late last month.
Democrats have seized on affordability as inflation continues to climb under the Trump administration, but the president has accused the far left of making unrealistic promises. “It’s too easy to get elected, giving everything away,” Trump said.
The recent victories by democratic socialist candidates have sparked debate within the Democratic Party. Some welcome the wins as a sign of progressive momentum, while others worry the party could lose races in the fall if it is perceived as too extreme. A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that 1 in 3 Americans say they would support a democratic socialist in an election, while 45 percent would not. The same survey showed 32 percent view socialism favorably, compared to 39 percent who see it unfavorably.
Trump’s amplification of Savage’s incendiary rhetoric comes as political tensions over ideology and immigration continue to escalate. The video’s call for deportation of political opponents—regardless of citizenship status—has drawn sharp criticism from civil liberties advocates and Democrats alike, who warn it threatens democratic norms.
The move also risks further inflaming divisions within the GOP, where some lawmakers have expressed concern about the party’s direction under Trump’s influence. As the 2026 midterms approach, the president’s strategy of branding Democratic opponents as “communists” may energize his base but could alienate moderate voters.
