Overview
- Megan Romer, which spoke on Friday on The New Yorker Radio Hour, said the DSA wants to 'tax the hell out of millionaires' and that she is more concerned about billionaires.
- When pressed for specific tax rates or wealth thresholds she hesitated and said she did not have a 'solid' answer, producing a short clip that quickly spread online.
- Republican operatives and the RNC have used the viral clip to paint the DSA as an electoral liability for Democrats and to force candidates to respond on the stump.
- The centrist group Third Way said it will spend $15 million on research and advertising efforts aimed at countering the DSA’s influence in Democratic primaries and the general election.
- The DSA’s 2026 program calls for 'aggressive wealth taxes' without naming rates or targets, a vagueness that gives opponents a simple message to run against and leaves DSA‑backed candidates to explain how proposals would translate into revenue and services for voters.