Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Sunday criticized members of his own party who voice support for socialism, recounting a conversation in Croatia in which people who lived under 20th-century communism told him Americans debating socialism “are morons.”
Fetterman discussed the exchange while addressing the current intra-party debate over economic systems and a recent Gallup poll showing 66% of Democrats view socialism favorably compared with 42% who view capitalism favorably. “I literally was in a former communist nation,” he said, describing a Croat who told him adopting socialist policies would be “the worst thing ever” and admonished Americans considering the shift to “get a reality check.”
Fetterman identified the country he visited as Croatia and paraphrased locals as saying, “Thank God we’re freed from that,” and expressing bewilderment that Americans were engaging in a discussion about socialism. The comments came during the sixth installment of The Senate Project, a forum moderated by Fox News anchor Shannon Bream at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston on June 2.
The remarks underscore tensions within the Democratic Party as some elected officials and activists advocate for more progressive economic policies. The party’s ideological shift toward the left has been evident in recent years with the prominence of figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and members of the so-called "Squad" in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prominent progressives, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., have argued that the current economic system is failing many Americans; Jayapal said on a Fox segment the system is “not working for the majority of Americans anymore.”
The debate over socialism has also surfaced in local contests. New York City mayoral candidate Rep. Zohran Mamdani, who has described himself as a democratic socialist, drew criticism and a recent attack from former President Donald Trump, who called him a "Communist lunatic." Mamdani has denied being a communist, distinguishing his views as democratic socialism. Political opponents and critics have highlighted incidents in which his events were disrupted by protesters alleging close alignment with regimes like Cuba’s.
Croatia spent decades under a communist regime led by Josip Broz Tito from the end of World War II through the 1980s. After Tito’s death in 1980, the country moved slowly toward democratization, holding multi-party elections by 1989. Croatia is now led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who is broadly considered conservative and pro-market and supportive of NATO and European integration.
Fetterman framed his anecdote as a cautionary tale for Democrats who express enthusiasm for socialism. He said the perspective of people who experienced authoritarian communist systems firsthand should factor into American debates about economic policy.
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Fetterman for further comment. The senator’s remarks contribute to an ongoing national conversation about the meaning of socialism in the United States and the political risks and messaging challenges it poses for Democrats as they prepare for the 2026 election cycle.