Socialism, which was tried to be excluded from political discussions in the USA for many years, is gaining visibility again at the center of American politics. Newsweek, one of the country's well-established weekly magazines, brought the rise of the democratic socialist movement to the agenda in its cover story published on October 14. The striking cover of the magazine received a harsh reaction from the Donald Trump administration.
On the 'Socialist Republic of America' themed cover, prominent figures of the American left were juxtaposed with a design reminiscent of Soviet-era propaganda posters. The question Newsweek asked its readers was striking: "Are you ready to join the American socialist revolution?"
In a statement made one day after the magazine was published, the White House argued that socialism was being tried to normalize. Thus, the fact that socialist policies are being discussed by increasingly wider circles in the USA also found a response in the country's highest political office.
FIVE IMPORTANT NAMES SIDE BY SIDE
Newsweek's remarkable cover featured Turkish-American publisher Hasan Piker, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Abdul El-Sayed, one of the rising figures of Michigan politics.
The names brought together on the cover represent different generations of the American left and their ways of doing politics.
Sanders has long been known for his campaigns against income inequality, the political influence of big corporations and the privatization of the healthcare system. Ocasio-Cortez is among the leading representatives of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Mamdani, on the other hand, achieved one of the most important political successes of the democratic socialist movement in local governments by winning the New York City Mayor's Office.
Hasan Piker, featured on the cover, stands out as one of the names that increases the visibility of socialist ideas in the digital space with his publications that reach a wide audience, especially among young Americans.
However, the democratic socialist movement in the United States does not constitute a uniform political structure. There are significant differences between the political approaches of Sanders, Mamdani, Ocasio-Cortez and Piker.
DEBATE ON SOCIALISM IN THE USA
The White House's direct response to Newsweek's cover shows that the place of socialism in American politics is being debated again.
On the one hand, there is a growing political movement advocating public health care, shorter working hours, wealth taxes and tackling income inequality.
On the other side is the Trump administration, which considers these demands as a threat to the American economic order and political system.
The debate, which started with the cover of Newsweek and grew with the harsh statement of the White House, reveals that socialist ideas, which were marginalized in American politics for many years, have gained visibility to a degree that can no longer be ignored.
Will this rise of the socialist movement lead to lasting political transformation, or will it be constrained by the traditional balance of power in American politics? The answer to this question will be one of the topics that determine the direction of the Democratic Party and the political struggle in the USA in the coming period.
Newsweek's article, signed by Christopher Roberts, Carlo Versano and Leonardo Feldman, draws attention to the change in American society's approach towards socialism.
The magazine states that in the past, socialism was seen as an idea that was adopted during university years and abandoned when one entered business life, but now this picture has changed.
Zohran Mamdani is shown as one of the most striking examples of this change.
According to a Quinnipiac poll cited by Newsweek, Mamdani's positive rating among likely voters in New York in September reached 60 percent.
On the other hand, the fact that the number of members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) exceeded 120 thousand in July 2026 was presented as another indicator of the organizational growth of the socialist movement.
The magazine drew attention not only to the strengthening of socialists but also to the ideological contradictions in American politics.
One of these was the Trump administration's acquisition of approximately 9.9 percent of the technology company Intel.
Newsweek ironically brought up the contradiction in the fact that the state's direct share in a private company is not described as socialism by the White House.
20 QUESTIONS SOCIALISM TEST
The magazine also prepared a 20-question test for its readers to question what socialism really means in American society.
The test aims to make people question where they are on the intellectual spectrum between socialism and capitalism.
While some of the questions are based on DSA's 2026 policy program, others range from daily consumption habits to working life.
Among the questions asked by the magazine are:
Would you be willing to work 32 hours a week even if your salary never changed?
Have you ever paid extra for oat milk to protest an exploitative food system?
Have you ever waited 14 weeks to borrow a book from the library instead of paying $16 for it?
Have you ever gone to Starbucks wearing a keffiyeh?
Should healthcare be free?
Do you have a tote bag with anti-capitalist messages on it?
Should Washington own part of Intel to compete with China?
Have you ever announced on the X platform that you are abandoning X?
Are you a member of a homeowners or residents association (HOA)?
Have you ever gone to psychological therapy to talk about capitalism?
Should U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) be abolished?
Would you entrust the management of electrical services to the municipality?
Should education at public universities be completely free and existing student loan debts canceled?
Do you love Airbnb but hate the hosts?
Do you support strikes even when they disrupt your daily life?
Would you shop at a government-run supermarket if groceries were 30 percent cheaper?
Should billionaires be subject to high-rate wealth taxes?
Should the Electoral College system in the United States be abolished?
Have you ever supported free public transportation by not paying for a bus that wasn't free yet?
Would you rather live in the America imagined by the Socialist Party in 1912 than in the real America of 1912?
Newsweek points out throughout the test that many of the practices associated with socialism already exist in different forms in American society.
For example, the fact that millions of people in the USA receive their electricity from companies owned by the public or consumer cooperatives is presented as one of the examples showing that public ownership is not completely alien to American economic life.
Rather than seeing socialism as a single economic model, the magazine's approach opens it up to discussion through public services, working conditions, income distribution and property relations.
Hasan Piker
HARD RESPONSE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
The Trump administration's reaction to Newsweek's socialism-themed cover was immediate.
In the statement published on its official website on October 15, 2026, the White House accused the magazine of romanticizing socialism.
In the statement titled "This is not a socialist revolution; it is poverty, hunger and death", it was argued that socialism is one of the most dangerous ideologies in history.
The White House claimed that Newsweek was trying to make socialism seem sympathetic through everyday topics such as oat milk, short work weeks and diaper bags.
The statement included the claim that socialist and communist governments were responsible for the deaths of approximately 100 million people throughout history.
The figure is based on disputed historical calculations of the death toll of different regimes and periods. For this reason, it is not considered a definitive balance sheet on which there is academic consensus.
The White House also claimed that the Democratic Party had fallen under the influence of the radical left.
HERO "COST CLAIM"
The White House's statement also included claims about the economic consequences of socialist policies.
According to the report prepared by the Trump administration's Council of Economic Advisers, it was claimed that the ten-year cost of some policies advocated by the DSA could reach approximately $49 trillion.
The report discussed universal health care, free higher education, student debt cancellation, reduced working hours and various public programs.
The White House argued that these policies would cause high tax increases, a decrease in economic production, job losses and an increase in mortgage interest rates.
But those calculations are based on assumptions and policy scenarios favored by the Trump administration. These forecasts should be treated as management assessments, not as inevitable economic consequences of socialist policies.
At the end of the statement, Trump's words that the USA will not be a communist country were also included.
WHY IS THE LEFT RISING IN THE USA?
Newsweek's cover and the White House's response are part of a broader political transformation increasingly evident in the United States.
Rising housing costs, healthcare costs, student debt and income inequality, especially among young voters, are amplifying criticism of traditional economic policies.
French newspaper Le Monde's research dated October 14 also reveals that the new generation of activists is becoming increasingly active in the American left.
The research states that grassroots organizations led by young people provide support to democratic socialist candidates, and politicians who reject large corporate donations and defend public services have become more visible within the Democratic Party.
