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Americans gathered on the National Mall for President Donald Trump’s America250 kickoff at the Great American State Fair said New York’s socialist surge is a warning sign for Democrats — one they argue history has already rejected.
“If you study history, you will see that many countries have already tried to go down that path and ended up in disaster,” said 11th grade Georgia teacher Jill. “If you talk to immigrants who came from countries that were socialist, they will tell you they left you know tending toward communist countries. They left for that reason.”
Digital spoke with Americans who gathered on the National Mall Wednesday evening for Trump’s rally kicking off the Great American State Fair celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary, where attendees shared why they believe socialism would fail in the United States.
The comments follow New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani scoring another political victory Tuesday, with all three congressional candidates he endorsed—Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier—winning their respective Democratic primaries.
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Rally-goers on the National Mall call out socialism. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Digital)
The victories were widely viewed as another sign of Mamdani’s growing influence in the Democrat Party and the increasing acceptance of socialism.
The socialist victories in several high-profile New York Democratic primaries drew a sharp political contrast that many attendees of Trump’s rally told Digital served as a stark reminder of the direction they fear the country is heading.
Rally attendee Jill told Digital that she traveled to East Germany at the age of 16 when the Berlin Wall was coming down, an experience she now brings into the classroom by showing her students photos from the trip.
“I show my students pictures, and we talk about what communism means … capitalism is what’s got us here. We’ve been a capitalist country for a very long time. They have to be extremely careful when voting. They need to study and be well-informed voters,” Jill continued.
While socialism collapsed in the Soviet Union and East Germany, it continues to shape the governments of countries such as Cuba and Venezuela—two nations that President Donald Trump has made a focus of his foreign policy efforts in an effort to support democratic change.
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Trump supporters speak to Digital at Great American State Fair rally. (Hannah Brennan/ Digital)
“I don’t support socialism … If you look at Cuba, the difference there… compared to even the other Caribbean countries around it, it’s totally different. And they’re driving old cars. They don’t have even heating and air … capitalism makes that possible. And so I’m very much in favor of working for what you want … I still think America is a place where the American dream can still come true,” said Toni of Kentucky.
“A hundred million people died from communism, whether it be from China and Mao or Stalin and Russia, Hitler. We can’t forget our history, or we have a tendency to repeat it, and we should definitely reject this. It’s never worked anywhere. And capitalism and a free market society has benefited the world,” David of Annapolis, Maryland, said.
Jennifer, who traveled from Tennessee, said she is worried about the rise of socialism in America.
“It’s not something that’s beneficial for our country and our values,” she said.
Former Rochester, New York, resident Norma told Digital she has 10 grandchildren and is worried about the next generation.
“New York is pretty much, I hate to say, far gone… I lived there for 22 years. There are conservative people there, but unfortunately, there’s this new agenda coming through,” she said.
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A father and son traveled from New York. (Ashley DiMella/ Digital)
Mamdani has faced criticism from conservatives over proposals including fare-free city buses, universal free childcare and city-run grocery stores, with Americans at the event telling Digital that “free” programs ultimately come at taxpayers’ expense.
“Socialism promises everything, but they can’t deliver past everybody’s money… history has shown where socialism fails… the proof is in the pudding,” said Billy of North Carolina.
“I don’t agree with it at all… we can’t function on giving everything away for free,” said Nicky of Tennessee.
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People watch as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally to kick off the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on June 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
When Digital asked Gen Z and Millennial voters whether Mamdani is “cool,” Sarah of Massachusetts and Johanna and Elizabeth of California responded, “no.”
“I understand the appeal that socialism has, but definitely don’t think that it’s the right way our country should be going. I think in theory it makes sense,” said Sarah. “In reality, that’s not how it ends up looking. It’s definitely scary to see so many of my generation leaning that way.”
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“It’s a really good concept to have everything for free in socialism, but it doesn’t really work out in the real world,” added Johanna. “If you look at the countries that have already tried socialism, it really hasn’t worked. It also doesn’t encourage innovation.”
Elizabeth, visiting Washington, D.C. for the week, said she agreed with her friends, adding, “I’m not a socialist. I’m a Republican.”
