Resurrecting the Red Scare*
A specter is haunting America: the specter of communism. Against the backdrop of Mount Rushmore — where the monumental faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are carved into stone — Donald Trump is reviving the age-old Red Scare in advance of the midterm elections that will determine his political future this November. As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary of independence, the president returns to what he does best: campaigning. With a red thread of fear, he ties together the threat of immigration and that of communism, both embodied by the Democratic Party, which he portrays as a hotbed of subversives. “There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life,” Trump says. But fear not, he will personally see to it that he “vanquish[es] communism quickly,” promising to “send [all red invaders] quickly away.” “America will never be a communist country,” he vows.
Trump’s strategy is clear. He aims to rally moderates against the Democrats’ shift toward socialism.. As far as he is concerned, they are all communists. Trump may not be an expert in Marxist-Leninist theory, but he understands that communism — unlike socialism — is still considered taboo because it is associated with the Soviet enemy, even though the Soviet Union enemy ceased to exist 35 years ago. Trump is now trying to revive anti-communist sentiment to incite a third Red Scare, following those from 1919 to 1920 during the Bolshevik Revolution, and from 1947 to 1957 during the era of Joseph McCarthy. According to Trump, the Muslim New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is the “American Lenin,” alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a key voice among democratic socialists. Both are political protégés of Sen Bernie Sanders, a leading figure among the Democratic Socialists of America, a movement whose influence continues to grow.
The ideological breakthrough in these unusual American times consists of a growing acceptance of socialism. Surveys indicate that four out of 10 Americans — and five out of 10 among those under 35 — view socialism favorably. Among Democrats, the ratio rises to two out of three. Could democratic socialists become the "Blue MAGA"?
Earl Browder, leader of the American Communist Party from 1930 to 1946, famously claimed that “communism is as American as apple pie.” That may not ring true today. However, Trump may not realize that Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president of the United States, frequently corresponded with Karl Marx, who was then living in exile in London and contemplating relocating to America. Marx believed that the United States, as the birthplace of capitalism in its purest form, would ultimately be at the forefront of a global revolution. According to historian Michael Perelman, the founder of scientific communism “was an important figure in the Republican Party.” “Perhaps someday Karl Marx’s head will be carved out from the rocks of Mount Rushmore,” Perelman said.
It all began with the campaign that Marx — author of some 500 articles for the New York Tribune, Lincoln’s favorite newspaper — waged through the International Workingmen's Association. Its objective was to prevent the British from siding with the Confederacy during the Civil War, which he fundamentally viewed as a struggle to end slavery. British intervention would have radically altered the course of both American and world history.
In November 1864, Marx sent his congratulations to the newly reelected Lincoln on behalf of the International. He addressed Lincoln as “the single-minded son of the working class” tasked with “lead[ing] his country through the matchless struggle for the rescue of an enchained race.” Lincoln responded warmly through his minister to the Court of St. James, Charles Francis Adams Sr. Adams was not only a co-founder of the Republican Party, but also the son and grandson of the sixth and second U.S. presidents, respectively, and maintained ties with the International.
Among the Union soldiers were several Germans who had fled the Revolutions of 1848, including Generals August Willich and Franz Sigel, both ardent communists. Many of these German Americans would later become radical Republicans during the Reconstruction era from 1865 to 1877. While Marxism may not be as American as apple pie, it is certainly not irrelevant to American history. What if, on the nation’s 250th anniversary, that specter were to truly shake the very beacon of capitalism?
P.S. Let's hope Trump does not read La Repubblica. We would not want him to have Lincoln’s head removed from Mount Rushmore in a fit of rage.
*Editor’s note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
Trump’s strategy is clear. He aims to rally moderates against the Democrats’ shift toward socialism.. As far as he is concerned, they are all communists. Trump may not be an expert in Marxist-Leninist theory, but he understands that communism — unlike socialism — is still considered taboo because it is associated with the Soviet enemy, even though the Soviet Union enemy ceased to exist 35 years ago. Trump is now trying to revive anti-communist sentiment to incite a third Red Scare, following those from 1919 to 1920 during the Bolshevik Revolution, and from 1947 to 1957 during the era of Joseph McCarthy. According to Trump, the Muslim New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is the “American Lenin,” alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a key voice among democratic socialists. Both are political protégés of Sen Bernie Sanders, a leading figure among the Democratic Socialists of America, a movement whose influence continues to grow.
The ideological breakthrough in these unusual American times consists of a growing acceptance of socialism. Surveys indicate that four out of 10 Americans — and five out of 10 among those under 35 — view socialism favorably. Among Democrats, the ratio rises to two out of three. Could democratic socialists become the "Blue MAGA"?
Earl Browder, leader of the American Communist Party from 1930 to 1946, famously claimed that “communism is as American as apple pie.” That may not ring true today. However, Trump may not realize that Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president of the United States, frequently corresponded with Karl Marx, who was then living in exile in London and contemplating relocating to America. Marx believed that the United States, as the birthplace of capitalism in its purest form, would ultimately be at the forefront of a global revolution. According to historian Michael Perelman, the founder of scientific communism “was an important figure in the Republican Party.” “Perhaps someday Karl Marx’s head will be carved out from the rocks of Mount Rushmore,” Perelman said.
It all began with the campaign that Marx — author of some 500 articles for the New York Tribune, Lincoln’s favorite newspaper — waged through the International Workingmen's Association. Its objective was to prevent the British from siding with the Confederacy during the Civil War, which he fundamentally viewed as a struggle to end slavery. British intervention would have radically altered the course of both American and world history.
In November 1864, Marx sent his congratulations to the newly reelected Lincoln on behalf of the International. He addressed Lincoln as “the single-minded son of the working class” tasked with “lead[ing] his country through the matchless struggle for the rescue of an enchained race.” Lincoln responded warmly through his minister to the Court of St. James, Charles Francis Adams Sr. Adams was not only a co-founder of the Republican Party, but also the son and grandson of the sixth and second U.S. presidents, respectively, and maintained ties with the International.
Among the Union soldiers were several Germans who had fled the Revolutions of 1848, including Generals August Willich and Franz Sigel, both ardent communists. Many of these German Americans would later become radical Republicans during the Reconstruction era from 1865 to 1877. While Marxism may not be as American as apple pie, it is certainly not irrelevant to American history. What if, on the nation’s 250th anniversary, that specter were to truly shake the very beacon of capitalism?
P.S. Let's hope Trump does not read La Repubblica. We would not want him to have Lincoln’s head removed from Mount Rushmore in a fit of rage.
*Editor’s note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
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