Trump's 'Communist Threat' Rhetoric Is Wildly Disproportionate to the Actual CPUSA
Source: Alexander Sammon. "Donald Trump hates one political entity more than any other. I went inside its dark lair.." September 18, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
The author visited the real headquarters of the Communist Party USA and found a small, aging, unthreatening organization that mostly makes money by renting out office space in a Manhattan building—nothing like the terrifying existential threat Trump describes. The piece argues that Trump's claims about communism being more dangerous than 9/11 or World War II are wildly disconnected from the mundane reality of the actual, barely-relevant Communist Party.
Conclusion
Donald Trump's characterization of communism as the 'greatest threat' to America—exceeding even world wars and 9/11—is absurd and disconnected from reality, given that the actual Communist Party USA is a marginal, aging organization primarily functioning as a small commercial landlord rather than a subversive revolutionary force.
Premises
- Trump and administration officials (Rubio, Mullin) have repeatedly and hyperbolically declared communism the gravest threat to America, exceeding historical catastrophes like Pearl Harbor and 9/11.
- The actual CPUSA is not a major player in American politics—it works with local tenant groups, occasionally boosts candidates, and sometimes collaborates with DSA, but has no significant behind-the-scenes or public political power.
- The party's headquarters is openly accessible, unguarded, and has faced no DOJ demands, congressional subpoenas, or even protests, undermining the notion of it being a dangerous clandestine threat.
- The party's most notable current 'operation' is mundane: it is a commercial landlord collecting rent from tenants including a private equity firm and an AI company, ironically mirroring capitalist practices Trump himself embodies.
- The party's membership has only modestly grown over the past decade, and its historical trajectory (surviving on real estate and stock investments rather than revolutionary activity) suggests decline and pragmatic survival rather than expanding influence.
- Officials citing 'evidence' of communist infiltration (e.g., Mullin citing a Communist Party logo on a rally flyer) are drawing exaggerated or unsubstantiated conclusions from thin evidence.
Assumptions
- The scale, visibility, and openness of an organization is a reliable indicator of the actual threat it poses.
- Firsthand observation of an organization's day-to-day operations (e.g., a landlord fetching rent checks) can meaningfully counter political rhetoric about ideological threats.
- Political rhetoric about existential threats should be evaluated against empirical, on-the-ground reality rather than symbolic or ideological concerns.
- The reader will find the incongruity between apocalyptic rhetoric and mundane reality persuasive evidence of exaggeration.