Stephen A. Smith is warning Democrats that an open embrace of socialism could cost them the White House in 2028 if they rally behind democratic socialist figures such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
During his Straight Shooter program, Smith took direct aim at Mamdanis recent appearance on ABC News, where the mayor claimed that a democratic socialist can get elected anywhere across this country for any position, according to Fox News.
Smith acknowledged that Mamdani is tapping into real frustrations over the widening wealth gap and the plight of working-class Americans, but he drew a sharp line at the notion that the Democratic Party should move toward socialism as a governing philosophy.
I am not a socialist, nor do I aspire to see socialism in the United States of America, Smith declared, underscoring a view shared by many voters who remain wary of left-wing economic experiments.
I don't know anywhere in the world where true socialism has worked. I don't see it. I don't know where communism has worked, he added, echoing a long-standing conservative critique that such systems inevitably fail and erode individual liberty.
Smith argued that Mamdanis brand of politics may play well in deep-blue enclaves but is unlikely to resonate with the broader electorate that decides national elections.
If he's coming, what does that mean for the rest of America? Because I got questions. Where has socialism ever succeeded? If so, tell us where that is. How is it going to succeed in New York? How are you going to sell that in a capitalistic society? You might do it in New York with young voters. What about the people in the suburbs? What about them? You really, really think this kind of message is going to resonate with them? Smith asked, highlighting the disconnect between urban progressive activists and more moderate suburban voters.
He warned that if Mamdanis message gains traction inside the Democratic Party but fails with the general electorate, the political fallout would be devastating for the left and a gift to Republicans.
If it resonates within the Democratic Party, but it doesn't have a snowball's chance of resonating in a general election, then you're basically handing the presidency to the GOP as well. That's what you're doing because the party, the Democratic Party, will have been perceived as being fragmented. That's what I'm seeing when I see Zohran Mamdani. That's what I'm looking at, and that's what I see when I see his ascension taking fold before our very eyes, he said, effectively predicting a fractured party facing a confident GOP under President Trump.
Smith also disclosed that Mamdani was supposed to be coming on his show but has yet to appear to defend or explain his agenda, a silence that leaves many of Smiths questions unanswered.
Even so, he conceded that Mamdanis growing influence cannot be ignored, given the real economic pain many Americans feel.
That wealth gap is real, y'all. It's very, very real. There are two Americas in this country, no matter what way we slice it. The haves and the have-nots. And there's a lot more have-nots than haves, which is why Zohran Mamdani is relevant, if not more so. So think about that, Smith said, acknowledging the grievances that socialists exploit while rejecting their solutions.
Fox News Digital reported that Mamdanis comments followed primary victories by Mamdani-backed candidates Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York, with Lander and Chevalier unseating incumbent Democrats, and noted that other socialist contenders are mounting primary challenges nationwide.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani's office and the Democratic Socialists of America for comment.
Fox News' CJ Womack contributed to this report.
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