A CNN political commentator on Monday said he is concerned President Donald Trump could move to "outlaw" the Democratic Party, citing recent White House rhetoric and vows to investigate left-wing organizations after the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Jamal Simmons raised the warning on "The Source with Kaitlan Collins," pointing to comments from White House officials and other Republicans in the wake of last week’s shooting at Utah Valley University. Vice President JD Vance urged citizens to report people if they appeared to be celebrating Kirk’s death on social media or elsewhere, and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said the administration would punish "left-wing organizations" tied to a purported domestic terror movement. Trump said unnamed groups were "already under investigation." House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he wished "more" Democrats had joined a vigil for Kirk in Washington, D.C.
"So the question arises in my mind, is the president of the United States going to outlaw the Democratic Party?" Simmons asked on the program. "Is that where we’re headed? Is the president of the United States going to unleash the Justice Department on the Democratic Party?" When asked whether that was a reasonable concern, Simmons replied, "It’s absolutely a concern."
Simmons said the concern rests on a pattern he views as the administration's willingness to deploy the Department of Justice against political opponents. "The president has shown that he’s willing to use the Department of Justice to go after his political enemies … And now his deputy chief of staff, who’s really the policy director at the White House, is calling the Democratic Party an extremist organization," he said. Simmons added, however, that he did not believe "the Democratic Party is one of those organizations."
A suspect in the Utah Valley University shooting has been taken into custody, but authorities have not publicly established a motive. Conservative commentators and some Republican officials have blamed Democrats and the media for contributing to a climate that they say enabled the attack, while the White House has described the shooting as linked to a left-wing domestic terror movement without disclosing detailed evidence.
Simmons said the administration's language after the shooting — including promises to "channel all of that anger" at what Miller described as a predetermined enemy — raises broader questions about the health of the two-party system and the use of federal law enforcement powers. He said the rhetoric, coupled with calls for investigation of unspecified groups, creates "very real questions about a two-party democratic system in this country."
The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Simmons' remarks. Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the shooting and have provided few public details about motive or any alleged organizational ties.