Murphy: Trump, not leftist candidates, is ‘biggest threat’ to US

Senate Murphy: Trump, not leftist candidates, is ‘biggest threat’ to US Comments: by Tara Suter - 06/29/26 4:58 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Tara Suter - 06/29/26 4:58 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday that President Trump is the “biggest threat” to the U.S., while downplaying concerns about far-left candidates like democratic socialists who have notched wins recently.

“I will say, though, what binds together, I think, every Democratic candidate that is running, including the ones in New York, is that they are standing up to protect American democracy,” Murphy told NBC News’s Ryan Nobles on “Meet the Press,” referencing leftist candidates who won House primaries in New York last week.

“And right now the biggest threat to this country is — are not a handful of House candidates in New York. It is the president of the United States that is trying to destroy American democracy, and the Democratic Party, left, right and center, is united around the fact that we need to protect this nation from Donald Trump’s attacks on the rule of law,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

Democratic socialists have stepped more into the national political spotlight in recent years, touting left-of-establishment ideals and rattling mainstream Democrats with big wins before November’s midterms.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) brought attention to democratic socialism 10 years ago with his run for president, eventually ushering in a broader movement that saw the election of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Last year, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) elevated the movement further on the national stage with his election to lead the country’s most populous city.

Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George is on track to be the next mayor of Washington, D.C., with another member of the movement, Nithya Raman, advancing to this fall’s mayoral runoff in Los Angeles.

Add as preferred source on Google Tags 2026 midterms Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Bernie Sanders Chris Murphy Donald Trump Senate Democrats Zohran Mamdani

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