By Travis Gillmore
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump declared Nov. 1 through Nov. 7 as Anti-Communism Week with a presidential action signed on Election Day.
“This week, we honor the victims of socialism and communism by remembering their lives, defending the freedoms that were denied, renewing our resolve to safeguard the Republic entrusted to us, and reminding ourselves that what we have created as a Nation stands as the greatest testament to human freedom in the history of the world,” the proclamation issued Nov. 3 reads.
“I call upon all Americans to stand firm in their defense against any threat to the American way of life and to protect our burning flame of liberty from the darkness of communism.”
The document describes socialism and communism as persistent threats to Americans’ liberty, ideologies designed to “eliminate individual opportunity, subjugate individuals to the state, and extinguish the God-given rights upon which free nations are built.”
Trump contrasted communism’s harmful nature—utilizing “control over human thought, creativity, and political expression, resulting in suffering, poverty, exploitation, violence, and misery for millions”—with the ideals instilled by the nation’s founders.
“We must remain vigilant in defending the principles that sustain our Republic and ensure the lessons of history are never forgotten nor repeated,” he wrote in the proclamation.
“We renew our commitment to protect the sacred values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from the chains of tyranny.”
More than a billion people are living under a communist regime’s control in five countries around the world, including the Chinese Communist Party, Cuba’s Communist Party, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the Workers’ Party of North Korea, and the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Historically, communism is responsible for more than 100 million deaths globally.
The timing of the action, falling while the earliest polls were closing, comes after Trump criticized Democratic Party candidates as socialists and communists while on the campaign trail crisscrossing the nation over the past month.
After a wave of candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America won primary elections across the country earlier this year, Republicans focused their messaging on countering communism and socialist policies.
The Democratic Socialists of America made national headlines last year with the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor. His election spurred a flurry of criticism from Republicans, who said it was a signal the Democratic Party was moving far left on the political spectrum.
The president’s Nov. 3 proclamation serves as a commitment to protect the Constitution from insidious acts, though it is limited in terms of legal authority.
Trump issued a similar action last year and has long voiced opposition to communist and socialist agendas.
In July 2025, he also proclaimed Captive Nations Week, continuing a tradition established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959 to counter the threat of communism. Trump gave his support to “every person living under a totalitarian regime” and said he was committed “to advancing a new era of peace where freedom is cherished, sovereignty is respected, and every nation can live without fear of tyranny or oppression.”
Legislation introduced by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) last year sought to make Anti-Communism Week an annual occurrence, though the bill has stalled in committee.
