Tom Emmer Calls Democrats Communists on ABC
Left 50%
Center 0%
Right 50%
1 left · 0 center · 1 right
What happened
House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., appeared Sunday on ABC's "This Week" with co-anchor Jonathan Karl, discussing the midterm elections, fuel prices, President Donald Trump's announcement of a deal to lift sanctions on Russian oil to bring Russian diesel to the United States, Iran, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments on plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. After calling $4 gasoline and $6 diesel "entirely unacceptable," Emmer said it was "not enough to vote for communists"; Karl replied that most Democrats would say they are not communists and that there are not "a lot of communists on the ballot," and Emmer interrupted, "Well you're wrong, they are communists." Emmer rejected Karl's reference to "some Democratic socialists," saying "there's nothing Democratic about socialism," that "they are now communists and Marxists," and that they want to defund the police and prisons, government-only health care, and the Green New Deal. Emmer defended the diesel announcement as Trump "thinking out of the box," said Republicans would "be fine" if people "show up and vote," defended Trump's claim not to attack Iran until after the midterms, said he is "not in favor of the death penalty" but is "so happy" Trump "will hold the criminals and the terrorists accountable," and accused journalists of not reporting that gasoline prices and grocery inflation were lower under Trump than under former President Joe Biden.
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Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Left-leaning coverage of the Sunday interview never reports Emmer arguing that communists are on the midterm ballot, or the host's reply. The ABC News version instead covers a Russian diesel deal, Iran, and the death penalty. Right-leaning coverage makes that clash the story. Fox News continues from the fuel-price complaint both sides share, with Emmer interrupting that "they are communists."
Left-leaning coverage opens on the diesel announcement and a whip saying Republicans will be fine if they vote. Right-leaning coverage opens on the labels fight and never mentions diesel, Iran, or the Fort Hood execution remarks.
Who on this year's midterm ballots is a communist, or running with Democratic Socialists of America backing, as Emmer claimed?
Bottom line
ABC News aired Emmer and never mentioned him calling Democrats communists; Fox News made that one exchange the story of the same interview.
The receipts — 4 facts one side's coverage lacks
- Emmer interrupted Karl to say of Democrats on the ballot, "they are communists."
- Emmer said they are "communists and Marxists" and told Karl to look at the Democratic Socialists of America platform.
- Emmer said the Green New Deal would cost every American family another $355,000.
- Dozens of Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates are running in the midterms.
The Left View
ABC News framed the appearance as Emmer dismissing Republican concerns going into the midterms and defending Trump on several fronts, without featuring the clash over ballot labels. It spotlighted the Russian diesel announcement, quoting Emmer that Trump is "listening to the American people," while stating that many experts say the plan is "unlikely to have an effect on diesel prices in the U.S. but will benefit Russia" and that it marked a reversal of years of tension with Russia over the war with Ukraine. The coverage emphasized Emmer's turnout assurance, his defense of delaying any attack on Iran until after the elections and praise that Trump "took the action that no one else would take for 47 years," and his deference to Trump on Hegseth's livestream remarks.
The Right View
Fox News framed the interview as a "heated ABC exchange" in which Emmer pushed back after Karl insisted there are not "a lot of communists on the ballot." It quoted Emmer telling Karl, "you just called them what they want you to call them," arguing that for 100 years the left wanted to be called progressives when they were socialists, and pointing to the Democratic Socialists of America platform. Fox noted that dozens of DSA-backed candidates are running in the midterms and cited Emmer's similar recent comments grouping the Democratic far left as "communists, Marxists and anarchists," including criticism of Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has denied being a socialist. The outlet also featured Emmer's charge that journalists framed inflation and gas prices differently under Trump than under Biden, including his claims that prices were "about 13 percent below" Biden-era levels and grocery inflation had fallen from "13-point-something" to "two percent."
Our Take (balanced)
ABC's strongest argument is that Emmer used the appearance to wave away midterm anxiety while defending a sanctions reversal that, as the outlet reported, many experts say is "unlikely to have an effect on diesel prices in the U.S. but will benefit Russia." Fox's strongest argument is that Karl understated who is on the ballot—the outlet cited dozens of DSA-backed candidates and Emmer's list of platform items on policing, prisons, health care, and the Green New Deal—and that "Democratic socialist" is a euphemism those candidates "want you to call them." The central unresolved tension is whether "communist" is an accurate description of DSA-aligned Democrats and the core midterm contrast, or an inflammatory label that crowded out debate over fuel prices, Russia policy, and Republican electoral risk.
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