On Tuesday’s CNN This Morning, the short morning show focused heavily on the trials and tribulations of the Democratic Socialists of America and their rise, with candidates being nominated across the country, including in NYC last week and possibly in Colorado this week. In one of many segments on socialism and the Democrat Party, Cornish asked her panel about GOP’s labeling of the DSA as communists and said, “Do you think it's weird they're skipping straight to communism?”
After a segment on the possible election of a DSA candidate in Colorado, the show returned to Democratic socialists with talk of radical New York House District 13 candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier and her past social media posts:
So, the posts include favorable references to communism, Marxist ideology, and authoritarian communist figures. She says she has grown considerably since those posts. And when asked about President Trump accusing her of being a communist, she said this.
On Tuesday's CNN This Morning, Audie Cornish asked why some Republicans call DSA candidates communists:
— Nick (@nspin310) June 30, 2026
"Do you think it's weird they’re skipping straight to communism? ... And I just wonder why you can't just critique socialism as is, and you have to go straight to communism?" pic.twitter.com/87ObRQXMP1
After a soundbite played from a Chevliar love-fest on MS NOW last week, USA Today White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers returned to comments President Trump made on the “threat of communism,” which led to Cornish to respond as she posed a question to the group: “Do you think it's weird they're skipping straight to communism?”
Cornish then showed a graph of the unpopularity of socialism, which she said showed, “Americans in general don't view it all that much better than they did in 2010,” before she returned to question the use of “communism”:
And I just wonder why you can't just critique socialism as is, and you have to go straight to communism?
Former George W. Bush administration official Ashley Davis said communism was “much easier to understand,” to which Cornish responded, “Sounds scarier?” Davis and fellow panelist and Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha responded in unison: “Yeah.”
Cornish then joked, “Straight back to the '50s (...) Love it!”
Ironically, later in the show, Cornish interviewed DSA-aligned Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed and asked about AI. She said El-Sayed "talked about public takeover" of AI companies, which El-Sayed disagreed with, as he called his idea "AI under democracy."
— Nick (@nspin310) June 30, 2026
She then… pic.twitter.com/VSI2dUtv9A
After she decried the use of communism to describe the DSA, Cornish had an interview with DSA-aligned Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. In the interview, Cornish asked El-Sayed about A.I., as she said, “You have talked about public takeover, if I have that right? Or privatization.”
El-Sayed took issue with the label of “public takeover,” and said the phrase he wanted to use was “A.I. Under Democracy.” He then continued and used the same “public takeover” line:
I mean democracy is, like, you know, public takeover of government.
Sounds like “seize the means of production” but with extra steps.
Cornish then asked, “Who would run the company, the government or the people who own the company?”
In an answer that did not clear anything up nor help Cornish’s point that DSA candidates are definitely not communists, El-Sayed made fun of the notion of a “takeover”:
I think that if you have a technology that is going to vastly change the nature of the economy, it's really important that you have democratic oversight of that technology. So, if we call that a takeover, then we've had a takeover of a lot of different things. But I think democracy is a good thing (...)
El-Sayed may have answered Cornish’s “skipping straight to communism” question.
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
CNN This Morning
June 30, 2026
6:33:51 AM Eastern
AUDIE CORNISH: A CNN K-File investigation uncovered deleted social media posts from Democratic congressional nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier's old Twitter account.
So, the posts include favorable references to communism, Marxist ideology, and authoritarian communist figures. She says she has grown considerably since those posts. And when asked about President Trump accusing her of being a communist, she said this.
(Cuts to video)
DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER (D-NY, NOMINEE FOR NY-13): You know, I think that is - that framing is one that I've been very proud to be able to say I don't respond to. One in which I have been very intentional to say, I won't be reactive.
(...)
6:36:56 AM Eastern
CORNISH: No, seriously, I wrestle with this because also it's -- I would think it's fair game. If Democrats can go scrubbing for old tweets where you find out there are Republican candidates who have said things that are racist, doesn't it - isn't it fair game to go after somebody who has said, abolish police, or said things that actually are even directly related to policy? ,
FRANCESCA CHAMBERS: I think regardless of what are in these social media posts from any candidate, that President Donald Trump and the Republican Party are going to make this argument about these Democratic socialists as alleged communists one way or another. I mean, he's made it, you know, very clear, going back to his comments on Friday, when he was at a religious conservative conference and he spent most of his speech, by the way, talking about this, talking about the threat of communism. Explaining about how Democrats are going to try and offer you free stuff. And that might sound good for a couple of years.
CORNISH: Do you think it's weird they're skipping straight to communism? Like isn't - I just want to show: positive opinions of socialism. In 2010, yes, there's movement from Democrats. Democrats now view socialism more favorably. But Americans in general don't view it all that much better than they did in 2010.
CHUCK ROCHA: Right.
CORNISH: And I just wonder why you can't just critique socialism as is, and you have to go straight to communism.
ASHLEY DAVIS: Communism is much more, if you're just branding them, and [To Rocha] you know this as a communicator for campaigns, it's much easier to understand.
CORNISH: Sounds scarier?
DAVIS AND ROCHA: Yeah
CORNISH: Straight back to the '50s.
DAVIS: Yeah.
CORNISH: Love it. Ok. Well -
(...)
6:58:28 AM Eastern
CORNISH: One issue I care about a lot on this show is A.I. and its effect on the economy to come. You have talked about public takeover, if I have that right? Or privatization.
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D-MI, CANDIDATE FOR US SENATE): Takeover was not the word. If you want to use that word.
CORNISH: Oh, what word do you want to use.
EL-SAYED: A.I. under democracy. I mean democracy is, like, you know, public takeover of government.
CORNISH: Who would run the company, the government or the people who own the company?
EL-SAYED: I think that if you have a technology that is going to vastly change the nature of the economy, it's really important that you have democratic oversight of that technology. So, if we call that a takeover, then we've had a takeover of a lot of different things. But I think democracy is a good thing.
And A.I. is a scary new technology, while democracy is a very tried and true old technology. And I'm just saying that you should have democracy overseeing the way A.I. is being deployed.
(...)
