By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Friday that a string of left-wing Democratic primary victories in New York City posed “the most serious threat to our country since its existence,” previewing what is likely to be a key Republican line of attack ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Trump, addressing the evangelical Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual “Road to Majority” event in Washington, inaccurately described the winning candidates – including two members of the Democratic Socialists of America – as communists.
“These ruthless communists will attack all religions, but in particular Christianity,” Trump said. “This is the greatest threat to our country since its founding.”
He also said communists were “animals” willing to assassinate their opponents, offering no evidence to support that assertion. The remark was particularly stark given that Trump was speaking at the same hotel where an armed attacker tried to get past Secret Service agents while the president was attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April.
Republicans, struggling to convince Americans they have a plan to address the high cost of living, are widely expected to go on the attack against Democrats in the closing months of the campaign as they fight to retain their slim control of Congress.
Political analysts say the success of left-wing Democratic candidates in the primaries gives Republicans an opportunity to paint the party as drifting too far to the left and focused on ideological priorities rather than voters’ cost-of-living concerns.
Tuesday’s primary contests saw a trio of far-left U.S. House of Representatives candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeat two incumbent Democrats and a third candidate favored by the party establishment.
Democratic socialists generally believe that the government should provide a robust welfare state, favoring policies such as universal healthcare and child care, free college education, stronger labor protections and higher taxes on the wealthy. Unlike communists, democratic socialists believe in working within the democratic system to effect change.
Democratic socialist candidates have also put support for Palestinians and opposition to U.S. military aid for Israel at the heart of their campaigns.
In response to Trump’s comments, a spokesman for the Democratic Party’s House campaign arm, Aidan Johnson, said Republicans “know they can’t win on the issues, so we’re seeing them melt down in real time, resorting to ineffective boogeyman attacks.”
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Trump has supported many of the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s causes, including attempting to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports. But he has also drawn criticism from Christian supporters of Israel over his ceasefire deal with Iran and from anti-abortion opponents who feel the administration has been too permissive.
On Friday, he sought to portray the war in Iran as an unqualified success, claiming he had thwarted Tehran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon.
His appearance at the Washington Hilton came two months after a man with a shotgun attempted to reach the ballroom where he had been set to speak to a gathering of White House journalists and other guests.
Outside the ballroom on Friday, increased security was apparent with more doors blocked off and more guards on duty.
Authorities identified the gunman as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California resident who pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to assassinate Trump.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Tim Reid; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Trevor Hunnicutt, Sanjeev Miglani, Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell)
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