EXCLUSIVE: How The Democratic Socialists Of America Used Trump To Hijack The Country

The Democratic Socialists of America stoked Americans’ fears of President Donald Trump to extend its reach and put down roots across the country, according to a new study from the State Policy Network shared exclusively by The Daily Wire.

Between 2016 and 2020, the DSA’s chapter count surged from 25 to 195 — a 680% increase, according to the report, “Socialism’s National Spend.” By 2024, under President Joe Biden, it had slipped to 183. The count climbed again to 204 in 2026, with Trump back in the White House.

The survey indicates that the group’s membership ebbs and flows with Trump. The DSA admits this on its website, saying the group experienced a “Trump bump” that resulted in more than 1,600 dues-paying members after his 2016 win. The DSA said it increased paying members by almost a fifth in the days following Trump’s election.

“DSA’s reach is not simply a story about New York City, members of Congress, or a handful of high-profile candidates,” the report’s co-authors, Andrew Dunn and Brooke Medina, write. “Its network extends into state capitals, midsize cities, college towns, and communities across the country.”

“What looks today like socialism spreading across America is, in important ways, the result of a ground game that has been underway for years,” they add.

According to the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), the DSA’s policy commitments would add $49 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade, roughly $355,000 per American household. It also projects that those policies would reduce annual worker pay by $22,000 and double mortgage rates to over 12%.

California has 23 DSA chapters, the report found, the most of any state. Florida has the second most, 17, while New York has 12. In total, the DSA network spans 204 chartered chapters plus 45 organizing committees working toward a charter. The only holdouts are Alaska and Wyoming.

The State Policy Network’s report points to socialism’s “elite appeal,” finding that college graduates (41%) and upper-income respondents (40%) are far more likely to support a democratic socialist candidate than those without degrees (26%) or with lower incomes (24%).

The group’s support with the elite has allowed it to have success in recent elections. The DSA election tracker shows 67 primary victories this year, spread over 19 states plus the District of Columbia. Seven were for federal office, and the other 60 were state or local races.

The biggest wins have come in high-profile primaries. DSA member and Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon upset Alexander Vindman in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary in August, and Abdul El-Sayed captured Michigan’s Democratic Senate nomination. In June, all three candidates supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won House primaries in New York, two by knocking out incumbent Democrats.

The mood is shifting nationally, too. An August Gallup survey found 43% of Americans view socialism favorably, the first time that number has cleared 39% since the pollster began asking in 2010.

But the movement’s promises would come with a substantial price tag. The DSA wants a larger government that provides more services, according to the White House’s analysis, and Americans would pay for that expansion through higher debt, lower wages, and more expensive borrowing.

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