Lara Trump warned on Glenn Beck’s radio show Monday that not enough “reasonable” Democrats like Sen. John Fetterman exist to prevent a socialist takeover of the Democratic Party, citing the recent primary victories of democratic socialist candidates across the country.
“Look at what’s happening. Look at these socialists winning primaries across America. That is very serious,” Trump told Beck on The Glenn Beck Program. “So, I do think that there are a few, at least, reasonable Democrats left out there, the John Fettermans of the world, who see this sort of thing, and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, this is the new party, and this is the face of our party,’ and they don’t want to see that happen.”
Trump also criticized the modest size of a group of moderate Democrats who recently banded together to defend capitalism. “It is abysmal, by the way, that only 13 of them could muster up the courage to sign something that had to do with common sense and capitalism,” she said, referring to the “Promise to America” pledge signed by 13 House lawmakers rejecting socialism.
Democratic Socialists Extend Winning Streak
The comment came as democratic socialists continued to notch significant victories in recent Democratic primaries. On June 30, 2026, Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old lawyer and doctoral student, defeated 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District primary, according to The Guardian and NBC News. Kiros is described as a Democratic Socialist of America-backed candidate.
The Colorado result adds to a broader trend. Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won the New York City mayoral race in November 2025, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in both the primary and general election, according to reporting from ABC News and the Democratic Socialists of America. Mamdani has been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America since 2017.
Fetterman, who has positioned himself as a centrist within the Democratic Party, has been vocal about his concerns. Following the New York primary results, he warned of the rise of what he called the “dirtbag left” within the Democratic Party. “Yeah, no, I mean … the kind of people they are trying to run out of office, they are just good, traditional kinds of Democrats you would expect in New York City now,” Fetterman told Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “And now this has just become — really, it’s just been the dancing days of the dirtbag left. You know, some of these candidates are outrageous. You have candidates, they’re ‘abolish ICE,’ ‘abolish the police,’ ‘abolish the border.'”
The 13 moderate Democrats who signed the “Promise to America” pledge declared “We are capitalist, not socialist,” according to Yahoo News. The effort, led by Rep. Tom Suozzi, represented one of the most visible pushes by centrist Democrats to counter the party’s leftward shift on economic policy.
Trump’s comments reflect broader Republican messaging around the 2026 midterms, framing the Democratic Party as increasingly dominated by socialist ideology. The appearance underscores how the rise of democratic socialist candidates has become a central dividing line within Democratic politics, with moderate members like Fetterman expressing alarm and younger, left-wing insurgents gaining ground in primary contests.
Sources
- The Hill — Lara Trump’s full remarks on The Glenn Beck Program about socialist Democrats and the Promise to America pledge, published June 30, 2026.
- NBC News — Confirmation of Melat Kiros defeating Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st District Democratic primary on June 30, 2026.
- The Guardian — Reporting on Melat Kiros’s primary victory over 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette.
- ABC News — Reporting on Zohran Mamdani’s November 2025 victory as New York City mayor, defeating Andrew Cuomo.
- Democratic Socialists of America — Official statement confirming Zohran Mamdani’s membership since 2017 and his mayoral victory.
- Fox News — Sen. John Fetterman’s comments on the “dirtbag left” and concerns about Democratic Party direction.
- Yahoo News — Details on the “Promise to America” pledge signed by 13 moderate Democrats declaring “We are capitalist, not socialist.”
