Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently took a jab at supporters of socialism in the United States, labeling them as “underachievers” who are driven by “jealousy” toward those who work hard every day. This assessment came during a live interview on Tuesday with Larry Kudlow for Fox Business, right in the middle of the Group of 20 finance ministers’ summit held in Asheville, N.C, as reported by The Hill. When breaking down his thoughts on the matter, Bessent remarked, “When you talk about socialism here in the U.S., and when you look at the demographic of those voters, they are over-educated and under-earning.” He followed that up by stating, “These are underachievers who are jealous of those who want to go and work every day.” This tension is not just happening in interviews, as we have seen a noticeable surge of democratic socialist candidates winning House primaries throughout the summer. For instance, candidates like Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez have secured victories in New York, while Melat Kiros found success in Colorado. These candidates have often run on platforms that address frustrations regarding the current cost of living, and they have frequently pushed for the United States to end military funding to Israel. Surveys show socialism still has an overall negative perception across the country According to an August CBS News/YouGov survey, only 9 percent of respondents reported having a very positive view of socialism, with another 26 percent viewing it as somewhat positive. On the other side of the coin, 46 percent of those polled viewed capitalism positively, while 33 percent held a negative perception and 20 percent remained undecided. Nearly 60 percent of Democrats expressed a positive view of socialism, compared to just 14 percent of Republicans. Bessent on Democratic voters: "These are underachievers who are jealous of those who want to go and work every day" pic.twitter.com/GJTx6kApPS— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 1, 2026 Bessent’s comments fit into a much larger pattern of Republican rhetoric. Throughout this cycle, top figures like President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson have repeatedly aimed their fire at progressive Democrats. House Republicans have made the threat of communism a central pillar of their messaging. Speaker Johnson has been particularly vocal, emphasizing the stakes of the current political moment. During a press conference at the Republican National Committee, he said, “We’re fighting right now in Congress over whether we’re going to maintain our status as a constitutional republic or we’re going to trade that in, dismantle the foundations and go down this dark road of death to communism.” The Speaker also warned against “crazy little mini-Mamdani’s” popping up across the country in this election cycle. This refers to the influence of figures like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose endorsed candidates have seen significant success. House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain has echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the left tries to hide its true intentions. McClain claimed that democratic socialists soften their language and invent nice labels. “Let’s call it what it is: It’s communism,” she said. Not everyone is buying into this framing, of course. House Democratic leaders have actively dismissed these attacks while also distancing themselves from the Democratic Socialists of America. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar noted that none of the members in his leadership group are members of that organization. He also pointed out that he thinks it is “laughable when Speaker Johnson and Republican leadership devotes all of their time to talking about this.”