Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez rejects Trump’s communism warning, cites stagnant minimum wage

During a campaign rally in Marietta, Georgia, Donald Trump warned that communism poses the greatest threat to the United States, claiming that “communists” aim to destroy Mount Rushmore and that progressive Democrats are leading the country toward a communist shift.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez responded in the Capitol, calling the notion “very silly” and saying she is not concerned about America becoming a communist country. She highlighted that the federal minimum wage has been frozen at $7.25 an hour since 2009, noting the difficulty of raising it and arguing that Republicans use the term “communist” to deflect discussion of health‑care reform and other economic issues.

Ocasio‑Cortez also referenced the United States’ high health‑care spending compared with other wealthy nations, suggesting that labeling policies as “communist” obscures the reality that many developed countries guarantee health care as a right.