The Tudor Dixon Podcast: How Socialism Is Rising in America with JT Young

Summary

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The Tudor Dixon Podcast: How Socialism Is Rising in America

Guest: J.T. Young (Author of "Unprecedented: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left")
Host: Tudor Dixon
Date: November 24, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Tudor Dixon welcomes J.T. Young, a former congressional policy advisor and author, to examine the rising influence of socialism within America’s political systems, with particular focus on the Democratic Party and recent electoral victories by self-described socialists. They explore historical trends, poll data, international comparisons, and the ideological shifts that have seen socialist ideas move from the political fringe to mainstream acceptance. The conversation blends political analysis with warnings rooted in history—and offers advice on confronting and discussing socialism in today’s climate.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mainstreaming of Socialism in America

• J.T. Young outlines the shift: Where socialism was once a fringe label in the U.S.—as with Eugene Debs and other minor parties—recent years have seen candidates embrace it proudly.
  • Notable quote: “We are now seeing people not just running away from the Democrat socialist label, they're running to that label.” — J.T. Young [03:49]
• The Bernie Sanders effect: Sanders in 2016 galvanized energy around socialism within the Democratic Party, and even though he didn't win, his movement persisted.
  • “He took Hillary Clinton to the wire and candidly, I think he would have won had it not been for the Democrats basically rigged system of superdelegates that gave Hillary Clinton the nomination.” — J.T. Young [04:48]

2. Electoral Victories & Party Dynamics

• Recent wins by self-identified socialists: Victories in Seattle (Katie Wilson) and New York City (Mamdani) are highlighted as turning points—America's largest cities are now led by socialist mayors.
  • “We have Tweedledum and Tweedledee of the Socialist Party running the left coast and the east coast of the United States.” — J.T. Young [06:52]
• Gallup poll implications: 42% of Americans—and a striking 63% of Democrats—would support a socialist presidential nominee.
  • “The socialist runs on the two party ticket. It used to be that... you had to be on a third party ticket, you had no chance.” — Tudor Dixon [07:52]

3. Democratic Party’s Ideological Shift

• Biden as a vessel for the left: Young argues Biden’s weakness forced him to accommodate the far left to hold the coalition together.
  • “His support was so weak. And we are now seeing largely the same thing happening, not just to the Biden administration, but to the Democrat Party as a whole.” — J.T. Young [10:21]
• Inability to break with the socialist wing: Leading Democratic figures like AOC and Elizabeth Warren are seen as wielding increasing intra-party sway.

4. Risks of Normalizing Socialism

• Republican dilemma in messaging: Is calling Democrats “socialists” an effective critique or does it paint the U.S. as inexorably moving left, normalizing the ideology?
  • “By the same token, I think we don't do a service to the truth and to the country to not point out the reality.” — J.T. Young [12:02]

5. Real-World and Historical Consequences

• Case studies, past and future: The failures of socialism in Cuba, Venezuela, and North Korea are cited—and the real-time experiment now unfolding in American cities is predicted to open eyes.
  • “In theory there's no greater allure than socialism because it promises something for nothing. But in practice, there's no greater repellent than socialism because it actually delivers nothing for something.” — J.T. Young [13:32]

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International Comparisons & Federal Safeguards (19:06)

• Differences with Europe: Dixon asks about European cities drifting socialistic, and whether America’s federalist structure offers more protections.
  • “We do have safety nets here...we have a constitution that, despite what the left will say, is still robust. It still offers great protections to...our states.” — J.T. Young [19:49]
• Outcomes of policy divergence: Young underscores that state-level policy experiments (from tax rates to COVID responses) provide “50 case studies” on what works.

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Internal Democrat Party Tensions & The “Purging” of Moderates (22:37)

• Departure of centrists: Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, cited as moderates forced out by the party’s leftward momentum.
• Repercussions visible in polling: Only 23% of Americans identify as liberals, yet 54% of Democrats do—a recipe for electoral trouble, according to Young.
  • “You cannot keep building a party on the ideological minority...you are moving towards political suicide.” — J.T. Young [23:11]

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The Allure & Manipulation of Socialist Promises (25:04)

• Promising “free”: Young satirizes the pitch: free buses, childcare, housing, groceries—“It’s all free, free, free, free.”
  • “When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is too good to be true.” — J.T. Young [25:13]
• Disconnect from lived reality: Many young Americans have never directly witnessed socialism’s failures, and elite university environments further insulate them from its economic consequences.
  • “Often they're coming from...our elite universities...that have promised them the same things that live on big endowments that don't support themselves...” — J.T. Young [26:32]

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Responding to Young Socialists’ Arguments (27:20)

• Challenges in debate: Dixon notes the common refrain: “It’s never been done right.”
• Young’s rebuttal: No society has made socialism work without economic or political degeneration; democratic socialism is a distinction without a difference.
  • “It's always that siren song of socialism that looks all the facts notwithstanding that it's never worked anywhere, at any time...we can make it work.” — J.T. Young [28:43]
  • “Once you do what socialism is, and socialism is really government monopoly...that's what it is all about.” — J.T. Young [29:26]

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Prospects for Actual Socialist Policy Implementation (35:40)

• Can socialist mayors really enact radical policies? Dixon asks about the possible constraints on New York City's Mamdani.
• Young’s pessimistic outlook: He doubts Governor Hochul would act as a brake, citing her political need for NYC votes. “I wouldn’t put any hope in Governor Hochul…” — J.T. Young [35:49]

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Implications for American Politics (37:08)

• A dangerous real-world experiment: Both agree that socialism in NYC may serve as a national cautionary tale—or may, if briefly successful, embolden the movement nationwide.

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Ocasio-Cortez, Schumer, & the Democrat Succession (39:03)

• Does AOC want the Senate or White House? Young argues Schumer’s seat is likely hers for the taking, especially given the lack of grooming of new leaders by Democrats like Pelosi and Schumer.
  • “I would never want to get into AOC's head because I would be so afraid I wouldn't get out again.” — J.T. Young [39:33]
  • “Chuck Schumer’s terrified.” — J.T. Young [41:14]
• Critique of leadership hoarding: Pelosi and Schumer’s failure to bring up a new generation of leaders paved the way for a socialist takeover.
  • “History will say that ultimately what Nancy Pelosi thought she was protecting the Democrat Party from, she gave them a wide open space for social[ism] to come in and take over her party because of her own desire for personal power.” — Tudor Dixon [42:42]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the empty promise of socialism:
  “In theory there's no greater allure than socialism because it promises something for nothing. But in practice, there's no greater repellent than socialism because it actually delivers nothing for something.”
  — J.T. Young [13:32]

• On party messaging and truth:
  “I think we don't do a service to the truth and to the country to not point out the reality.”
  — J.T. Young [12:02]

• On the prospects for socialism in America:
  “You're going to see more of this. And I think this will put an example in front of people's eyes...to the paucity that is socialism and the poverty that socialism actually brings.”
  — J.T. Young [19:49]

• On “democratic socialism” as distinct:
  “Well, I don't think there is. And that's the whole point. Once you do what socialism is, and socialism is really government monopoly, that's what it is all about.”
  — J.T. Young [29:26]

• On AOC and Democratic leadership succession:
  “I would never want to get into AOC’s head because I would be so afraid I wouldn’t get out again.”
  — J.T. Young [39:33]

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Key Timestamps

• 03:06: Tudor Dixon introduces J.T. Young and the episode’s focus on the spread of socialism.
• 04:48: Discussion on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign and lasting impact.
• 06:52: Noting socialist election victories in Seattle and New York City.
• 07:52: Gallup poll data on American support for socialism.
• 10:21: How Biden's weakness shaped Democratic party dynamics.
• 13:32: Young’s “theory vs. practice of socialism” quote.
• 19:49: Federalism and state-level policy as protection.
• 23:11: The Democratic Party “purge” of moderates.
• 25:13: The “free, free, free” critique of socialist campaign promises.
• 29:26: Definition and consequences of “democratic socialism.”
• 35:49: Probabilities of true socialist policies being enacted in NYC.
• 39:33: The Schumer vs. AOC Senate seat question; critique of leadership tenure.
• 42:42: Dixon on Pelosi’s personal power and party consequences.
• 43:31: Book information and closing thanks.

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Book Promotion

• Book: “Unprecedented: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left” by J.T. Young
• Where to find: jt-young.com, Amazon, major retailers [43:31]

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Summary & Tone

The conversation is urgent, cautionary, and direct, expressing concern about the normalization and electoral success of socialism in American politics. Young, with historical examples and poll data, paints a picture of a party (and potentially a country) rapidly shifting left, propelled by youthful energy and institutional enablers. Dixon is not just a moderator, but an active participant, pressing the conversation toward practical advice and pointed critique of party leadership and cultural trends.

If you missed this episode, you’ll gain a high-level view of how and why socialism is on the rise in America—and why the hosts believe this trend is both unprecedented and perilous.

Transcript

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[Tudor Dixon]

You are listening to the Tutor Dixon podcast. And today we are going to have a lesson in socialism. It seems like it's time we see it going all across this country. And even though you may feel like, oh, this is just in a few mayoral races and maybe it was New York City, but it's not New York State, we actually have an expert here today to tell us why we should be a little bit more hyper aware of exactly what's going on. We have J.T. young with us. He is a former congressional policy advisor who worked three decades in and around Congress. But he's also the author of a new book called Unprecedented How Big Government Unleashed America's Socialist Left. This is terrifying. Tell us what is going on. Thank you for joining me today.

[J.T. Young]

It's a pleasure to be here, though I hate to have to be on this topic. I mean, this truly is an unprecedented assault. We have never seen anything like this in American history and we've been very fortunate that we haven't. And I think the rest of the world would tell us just how fortunate we are. But you know, we are now seeing, as you just mentioned in your preface here, we are seeing people not just running away from the Democrat socialist label, they're running to that label. And we, we haven't seen that in really well over a century. Eugene Debs was a perennial or quadrennial socialist candidate for president, ran five times, never won a sing single electoral vote. And that's largely been what we've seen in American history. There have been attempts, but never anything meaningful for a meaningful period of time. Now we're seeing just the opposite. We're seeing, you know, beginning 10 years ago really with Bernie Sanders running for president, an avowed Democrat socialist. He's always been upfront about that and ran for the Democrat nomination and that was in 2016. He took Hillary Clinton to the wire and candidly, I think he would have won had it not been for the Democrats basically rigged system of superdelegates that gave Hillary Clinton the nomination. But he embedded it was Clear. The energy from that campaign was all from Bernie Sanders.

[Tudor Dixon]

So I think that the Democrats at that point thought had kind of nipped it in the bud. I feel like they were like, okay, he had this rise. People felt really good. They got to vote for him, but we didn't let him actually win. And there was a group of us that kind of. Do you remember the Muppets? They had those two guys that, like two guys in the balcony that were reviewing. Yeah, he was kind of like just a Muppet, you know, just that he looked like those guys and crazy hair. He just kind of came off as this goofball. And people were like, you know what Bernie's done? He has had this major rise back up. I mean, I even thought that it was goofy when AOC came out. I'm like, this old Muppet is teaming up with this young woman, and they're never going to get anywhere. But they have, right?

[J.T. Young]

You know, Tudor, to your point, Bernie Sanders success was actually the cause of his demise in 2020. Because if you looked at what happened four years later, all the candidates running for president, with the exception of one, Joe Biden, were running in Sanders space. So they split Sanders vote. Elizabeth Warren Buttigieg. Everybody was going as far left as they could. They were trying to draft behind Sanders, and they took the air out of him. And of course, that allowed Joe Biden once again to save the Democratic establishment and come in instead of the far left. But as you just mentioned, when we saw with AOC in 2018, the energy has still been there. That is where it is, and we're continuing to see that. And we just saw that manifestation earlier this month on Election Day, with not just one in New York, America's largest city, Mandani, winning there, but we've just seen over the last few days that Katie Wilson has won in Seattle as well. And so we have Tweedledum and Tweedledee of the Socialist Party running the left coast and the east coast of the United States. We have now two Democrat socialist mayors in place, and we're going to have them for the next four years.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, I think the scary thing is that this Gallup poll just came out says 42% of Americans say they would vote for a socialist for president if that person were nominated by their political party. So first, I think that's scary because I do think that we've kind of become, like, entwined, so entwined in our political party. Our political party is always right, that we're just going to go because it's black and White, the other side is so bad, we've got to stick with our party. And now the socialist runs on the two party ticket. It used to be that if you were running as a socialist and you've pointed this out, that you had to be on a third party ticket, you had no chance. But 63% of Democrats say they would support a socialist candidate. It's not just a nominee like I will fully support the socialist. Has the Democrat ticket become the socialist ticket?

[J.T. Young]

It's well on its way. And I think what you're seeing now is the fact, and we saw this for four years with Joe Biden, who was a very, very weak president with a very weak coalition. As we were just discussing, you know, nobody really wanted Joe Biden. Joe Biden was everybody's second choice. And as others dropped away, their support went behind Biden and buoyed him up. But he came in, basically came into office as a weakened president and he had no choice but to try to hold a coalition together. As his administration became less and less popular, he became more and more dependent on his far left. And it was very notable. Remember when we were seeing him being pushed out of the race in 2024, well into the, into the race, the voices that were not calling for him were very significant. And those voices were Bernie Sanders, aoc. The far left was not calling for Biden to leave the race because they were getting everything they wanted.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, and I think that was very manipulative because. And I wonder, do you think that establishment Democrats had been tricked into the idea that if they had Joe Biden, he was going to be a moderate? Because something happened once he got in. I don't know if it's that he didn't know or that his staff was like, okay, we're going to just bring in every agency, we're going to bring in a socialist. But it seems like they just kind of took over and the people who thought they were getting the moderate got someone way worse than what they could have imagined.

[J.T. Young]

Right? I think you're right. And I think again, Biden's weakened state means he could not get rid of anyone who was supporting him. He, his support was so weak. And we are now seeing largely the same thing happening, not just to the Biden administration, but to the Democrat Party as a whole. And we've seen this Mamdani's candidacy as a case in point, as you've noticed. Who was it who came out to support him? Obviously, AOC brought him down to Washington to speak to congressional Democrats. And then over time Elizabeth Warren comes out behind him. Finally, Hakeem Jeffries comes out behind him. The Democrat Party can't get rid of their Democrat socialists because this is where all their energy is and they're a significant number of their supporters. Without them, I think they realize that they don't really have a competitive national party anymore. So they are more and more dependent on, on this group because as the rest of their support starts to collapse, they again become more dependent on this extremist portion.

[Tudor Dixon]

So from the Republican standpoint, we have been, I think, pointing this out. We've been very adamant to come out and say the Democrats are now socialists. But is that the right move? Because if you do end up with a fully socialist Democrat party in a two party system, you are trending towards socialism as a country.

[J.T. Young]

Yeah, I mean, it's obviously there is a risk here that's involved, but by the same token, I think we don't do a service to the truth and to the country to not point out the reality. I mean, it's so funny that a party that is so believing that you can identify yourself as whatever you want and we have to accept it, is now kind of implicitly saying that these people who call themselves Democrat socialists, whether it's a Bernie Sanders, whether it's a Mondami, whether it's Katie Wilson in Seattle, that they're somehow not what they call themselves, and yet we're supposed to believe that anyone else who self identifies as anything they want, we have to accept, but we're not supposed to accept something that they're so upfront about in their political views.

[Tudor Dixon]

Where does this lead the country though? It seems as though people were concerned with Obama taking us down this path. And it feels like it started there. And then we had kind of this comeback with Donald Trump, but that pushed us even deeper into this socialism. Socialism has been, I mean, people have been trying to bring it to the United States for years. They had some success early on. We staved it off for a few decades, but now it's really come back.

[J.T. Young]

Well, I think we can take heart. There are two truisms I think here. One is that in theory there's no greater allure than socialism because it promises something for nothing. But in practice, there's no greater repellent than socialism because it actually delivers nothing for something. And you know, I think we're about to get two case studies in Seattle and in New York. If these two candidates are what they say they are and intend to do what they've promised to do, I think you're going to see this play out. And in certain respects, while it will not be good for Seattle, it will not be good for New York City. It may be good for the rest of the country to actually see what we have forgotten that socialism looks like because we have an establishment media that loves to ignore the fact that we have socialism in the world. Yet no one wants to really talk about the failure that is Cuba, the failure that is Venezuela, the failure that is North Korea. I mean, these are basket cases and no one wants to attribute it to their political forms. But that's the reality. And I think for also for a lot of Americans since the fall of the Soviet Union, we haven't had a hot adversary that was a socialist country, you know, now for decades. So out of sight has been out of mind.

[Tudor Dixon]

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[Tudor Dixon]

We've seen a lot of this in Germany where these mayors have taken control of these cities and they're turning more and more socialist. And then, I mean, they've gone very far left. You see this in the UK where they're going very far left. I mean, they're arresting people who are posting things on Facebook. Now this is. This is becoming extremism. How does. How does the. The United States differ from a European country? Do we have more protection because of the way the government is set up with the federal government in the states? And. And all of that is able to suppress these mayors? Because my fear is we don't just see that these cities collapse, these cities kind of expand, and we can't tamp them down over time.

[J.T. Young]

Right. And I think you make a great point. We do have safety nets here that we have a unique governmental system. Obviously, we have a constitution that, despite what the left will say, is still robust. It still offers great protections to, not only to us as citizens, but to our states. The federal structure is absolutely fantastic because we do get case studies, 50 of them, in how government can and should work or how it can't work and shouldn't work. And we saw this to a great degree, obviously, during the pandemic, where we had states that were draconianly shutting down, closing their schools for untoward periods of time, well beyond anything that had any rationale. And yet you had other states that were doing just the opposite. You are. You're seeing in these states, obviously, we have different tax rates. You know, we have states that have zero income taxes that are experiencing huge growth. And we are. We have states such as New York and California and New Jersey that have extremely high tax rates, that are losing populations, they're losing investments. And again, going back, I think, sadly, if this is what Mamdani is planning to do in New York City and raise what are already among the highest tax rates in the country even further, you're going to see more of this. And I think this will put an example in front of people's eyes. For those who have any doubt as to the paucity that is socialism and the poverty that socialism actually brings, I think they're going to see it sadly play out. And while other segments of the country are insulated from it, and I do take some hope, if you remember, way back in, in our history, in 1972, the Democrat Party lurched extraordinarily far left for that time period with George McGovern, and they suffered a cataclysmic defeat. So there is the possibility that we see the same thing. Perhaps the Democrats continue to do this, and they do elevate someone of this ilk. Obviously, it cannot be Mamdani himself. He was born in Uganda. But do you nominate someone who's so far to the left that the country actually just completely rebels and the Democrat Party has to actually Say we have to get our own house in order. We have to purge it of these people who are not the traditional Democrats that most of the country remembers.

[Tudor Dixon]

Do you think there's anyone feeling that way in the Democrat Party right now that they're fractured and that they have to cut off the dead weight? I mean, they've gone pretty extreme. Their socialism is not just about government programs. It's also about changing kids, genders, and some of these radical things that the country as a whole has pushed back on those radical policies. However, this idea of free stuff is, as you said, very alluring. Is there a way to cut that dead weight if you're the Democrat Party right now, or do you have to kind of go through this next cycle and see where it goes?

[J.T. Young]

I think we're seeing the purging already. I mean, you think the two people who basically stood between the country and even worse, Biden policies in the last Congress, and they were Kyrsten Sinema and they were Joe Manchin, both of them have gone. They're left. I mean, the party left them more than they left the party. You know, obviously we're speaking as Republicans and conservatives here, but we also have a memory there used to be conservative Democrats that you were opposed on partisan grounds, but not philosophical grounds. And I think as they continue to purge, I mean, you look at right now at Fetterman from Pennsylvania, he seems like he's a lone voice of sanity within his own party, and obviously his party is turning on him as well. So I don't know that they are done getting rid of the people who oppose them. But again, you know, you go back to 1972, they did the same thing half a century ago and failed so tremendously that it was unignorable. And I think the same thing could well be on the way for the Democrats. Now. You cannot keep building a party on the ideological minority. I mean, right now, 54% of Democrats are liberals, but in the country as a whole, only 23% of Americans are liberals. Those numbers are from Gallup and from Exit Polar. If you continue to build a party on a ideological minority, you are moving towards political suicide.

[Tudor Dixon]

What do you think is the biggest manipulation of this socialist message? The biggest manipulation and yet the most alluring part.

[J.T. Young]

Well, I think, again, you know, writ large, is that we're going to give you, again, go look back at what Mom Donnie has been promising. We're going to give you free buses, we're going to give you government child care. We're going to give you government housing. We're going to give you government grocery store. It's all free, free, free, free. Well, as we all know, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is too good to be true. Sadly, I think we're going to have to see this play out that people realize. Anyone who ever wanted to see what a government run grocery store looks like, go check the store shelves in Venezuela, go check the store shelves in North Korea or Cuba, and you'll see what government run grocery stores.

[Tudor Dixon]

But how do we get them to see that? Because people don't actually. I mean, a lot of these people never travel outside of the US and certainly not to these areas because you wouldn't travel. I mean, you can't even go to North Korea. Right. So you, you don't get the chance, a chance to see what the effect of socialism is. And even though we have people who've come into the United States from those countries who are saying, whoa, whoa, you don't want this, it seems like the, the youth of this country is trending toward. We want government to be the biggest employer, we want giant government. Government is going to take care of us. Government is lovely. How did this happen?

[J.T. Young]

Right. Well, obviously you look at where those, where those ideologues are coming from, and often they're coming from, sadly, our elite universities, or so called elite universities that have promised them the same things that live on big endowments that don't support themselves, that live off the subsidization of donors and trust funds. And I think you see the same thing, they inculcate that into the people that they supposedly educate. And back to your question. Yes, they can't go and wouldn't want to go, ironically enough, to the places where there are government run grocery stores. But Mondame is promising to bring government run grocery stores to New York. Let's see how that works out.

[Tudor Dixon]

So if we do see and this is a total disaster, how do you. And then this comes back up, because I see this oftentimes with young people who are, even people in my own family who are saying, you know, you're on the wrong side of this. This is the future. It's never been done.

[J.T. Young]

Right.

[Tudor Dixon]

You've heard that argument. It's never been done. Right. What is your counter argument to that? I mean, because I think a lot of people want to say no, you're crazy. They just don't have the facts to back it up. I mean, I know Venezuela and North Korea, but what can you say to students in the United States to get them to understand why this doesn't really work there. I mean, where do you get the funding for all of this? And yet they'll say, just take it from the billionaires. But especially in the United States of America, the billionaires are able to move away from that. Unless, I guess, the idea over time is eventually you take over the entire country, you become a completely socialist nation. That would mean that there is really very few, there are really very few freedoms in the world because the United States is kind of like the beacon of freedom, especially for business and entrepreneurship. And then what happens over time? You just have no billionaires. And really people go, oh, we don't want billionaires, but billionaires are the job creators. That's why we have so much success in this country. Why is that lost on people?

[J.T. Young]

Right. Well, again, I think it's always that siren song of socialism that looks all the facts notwithstanding that it's never worked anywhere, at any time, in any country, in any continent. We can make it work. We're that much smarter than the whole rest of human history and experience put together. That, I mean, that's gotta be your first argument against this. Of show me one example where it has worked and hasn't run afoul of economics and political freedom. I don't know of any.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, then they come back to you and they go, but this isn't socialism. This is democratic socialism. Well, what's the difference?

[J.T. Young]

Well, I don't think there is. And that's the whole point. Once you do what socialism is, and socialism is really government monopoly, that's what it is all about. It's monopolizing the economy, taking the means of production. That's what socialism is, always has been, always will be. And that is the road they have to go down. Because as their programs fail, they take more and more of the economy under control. Imagining if we take the surpluses from this sector or from another sector or from that individual or these individuals, we can fund ourselves for a little bit longer and they'll get a little bump as you take and use other peoples. But they cannot replicate the rate of return needed to keep the system going. And that's what we saw with the Soviet Union. You see it everywhere. They actually devolved down into basically a little more than subsistence economies because there is no incentive to produce. You take away the money from the billionaires, you take away the reason for. And it's not just the billionaires, but you take away the incentive for the Tudor Dixons of the world to go to work and work hard every day and make take her version of the surplus that's added to other people's. You take that away and suddenly the system grinds to a halt. Because, you know, there used to be the old joke in the Soviet Union, we pretend to work and they pretend to pay us. And you know that if you ever traveled back there, you saw it in spades. You know, people going through the motions, living on black market economies underneath the official economies. And of course in the black market economies, that's where capitalism was actually flourishing as people circumvented the official system. And you're going to see the same thing. You'll see the same thing replicated when you take away people's incentive to work hard, retain what they've earned, and control the destiny of themselves and their families. They always devolve down into this collapse of incentive to do anything at all.

[Tudor Dixon]

Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on the Tudor Dixon Podcast.

[J.T. Young]

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[Zing Singh]

Hi, I'm Zing Singh.

[Simon Jack]

And I'm Simon Jack.

[Zing Singh]

And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

The podcast exploring how some of the world's richest people made their fortunes.

[Zing Singh]

And we are back with a brand new season of billionaires.

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And we're asking you to decide if they're good, bad or just another billionaire.

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Good bad billionaire. From the BBC World Service, listen on.

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BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Brand Break.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest. Building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger.

[Travis Holloway]

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[Tudor Dixon]

How capable will Mamdani be of bringing true socialist policies into New York City? Or will this be stopped by the governor there?

[J.T. Young]

I wouldn't put any hope in Governor Hochul, Because I was just reading yesterday that while she had said that earlier in the campaign that she would prevent tax increases for New York City, now she was saying that she was considering tax increases for New York City. So again, I think the Democrats, and you remember Katie Hochul is. Kathy Hochul is running for governor herself. She needs those 8 million votes that are in New York that just elected Mamdani as mayor. She needs those. I mean, look back at what happened in 2024. Kamala Harris won New York City by virtually a million votes. That was where she racked up. And she didn't do as well as Democrats have in the past, but she also won New York state by about the same million votes. So a Democrat, to be competitive in New York State, has to have that huge Democrat surplus. So Hochul is not in a position to say she's not going to support Mamdani because she's afraid she'll lose Mamdani supporters in the gubernatorial election next year. Wow.

[Tudor Dixon]

So that's scary. So we may actually see a true socialist experiment in our largest and probably the world's most important financial city. We could potentially see this. And then, you know, maybe that's, maybe that's what the United States needs as a wake up call. I think it's a, it's a very dangerous wake up call. We feel it's scary because it could ultimately change how the country operates and how the Democrat Party operates. If they see this as a success for the first two years, it could really impact how the midterms are and, and who runs in the midterms and, and then ultimately who's running in 28.

[J.T. Young]

Right. No, you're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. Tudor and I have this. This certainly is the fear that when you start to go down this road, and obviously Mamdani is a very slick salesman. This is a political neophyte who managed to knock off the incumbent Democrat mayor and then a former Democrat governor. Those are not inconsequential political victories. So I'm not saying there's a reason that they called them snake oil salesmen because they could sell snake oil. And I think that's what he's done here. Now, whether he can get people to actually drink what they've bought or continue to drink it is a whole different question. And how far is he really interested? Has he already attained what he wanted? He's now mayor. Does he really care? Or did he use this as a means to get the political victory he got? And then he can always say, well, I wanted to do it, but I was blocked by the city council, I was blocked by the state legislature. The governor didn't support, you know, does.

[Tudor Dixon]

He look for a. I think a guy like that shrinks back. I think he is. I think he'd like to be governor. And I want to ask you about aoc, because everybody is saying that Schumer is concerned about her running for his seat. And that's the real, that's the real conundrum that everybody's in right now is can you keep Chuck Schumer in his seat or is she going to take the Senate seat? I think she wants to run for president. Do you think that she's looking for the Senate seat, or do you think she's looking for the, the, the big White House and, and everything that comes along with that?

[J.T. Young]

It's a good question. And I would, I would never want to get into AOC's head because I, I would be so afraid I wouldn't get out again. And I think I would find it very lonely in there as well. But that, you know, I would think, in all honesty, that his shark, Schumer's seat is hers for the taking if she wants it.

[Travis Holloway]

It.

[J.T. Young]

I don't know why she wouldn't. It would give her a heightened platform and it would be the normal political course for most people. Now, again, we're talking about people who call themselves Democrat socialists, and that's not a normal political course in America. But to leapfrog from being a candidly a backbencher with no real governing experience. I mean, she's not chairman of a committee. She's, you know, she's, she's still a backbencher in the House of Representatives. That's a leap to run as a presidential candidate. You just don't see that. I think she could raise money and I think she could raise a lot of attention and she could raise interest, but why not, at her age, take the next step and move into the Senate? And let's be candid, the Senate is a body of talkers. I mean, and aoc, right. It was tailor made for someone who can get up and talk indefinitely, and I think she can. So it would be a perfect, moving, perfect move for her rather than to try to jump in and run for president. But I think you're absolutely right. I mean, Chuck Schumer's terrified.

[Tudor Dixon]

Oh, yeah.

[J.T. Young]

And I wouldn't be surprised if Schumer actually decides, as we saw, you know, Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement. And if you notice, she was challenged Months ago. By who? She was challenged by a former AOC staffer who's running against her and, you know, pinpointing her age and that she's out of touch. And Nancy Pelosi, right upon the heels of Mondani winning in New York, announced her retirement. I think a lot of Democrats see the handwriting on the wall. I wouldn't be surprised that Chuck Schumer does as well. You know, obviously saying you're not going to run makes you a lame duck. It would immediately end him as Senate Minority Leader. So I don't know that he makes that decision that publicly that soon, but I could easily see where people are talking to him and they're within his camp saying, chuck, the numbers just aren't here.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, and, and they, I think they really missed the younger generation and I blame them for what's happened in the Democrat Party. Nancy Pelosi wouldn't give up power. She never brought anybody else in. She thought she could hold the squad at bay. And you can see almost her holding her hand out and on their foreheads and having them kind of run in circles until suddenly she really is too old to continue to stay in her position. I mean, she in her 80s, Chuck Schumer is almost 80. They have not let anybody else take that power and step up into a leadership position. And that's their own fault. So now they have this rise of the 20 and 30 year olds who are. They have been indoctrinated by these universities. They have been brought into this socialist policy narrative. And I think that if you look back, history will say that ultimately what Nancy Pelosi thought she was protecting the Democrat Party from, she gave them a wide open space for social to come in and take over her party because of her own desire for personal power. And I ask people who are listening to this podcast to check out your book so that they can understand a little bit more about how this happened. The book again is called Unprecedented Assault, How Big Government Unleashed America's Socialist Left. Where can they get it?

[J.T. Young]

Well, you can go to the website jt-young.com it will give you all the particulars on the book. The reviews, which I, I'm very grateful. They've been very favorable to the book. Obviously, you could order it from Amazon or any number of places, wherever you would buy your books.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, thank you so much. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on socialism with us today. J.T. young, it was great talking to you.

[J.T. Young]

You too, Tudor. I really enjoyed it.

[Tudor Dixon]

Thank you. And thank you all for listening to the Tudor Dixon podcast. Make sure you head over to the end iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast to listen again. And you can also watch the full video on Rumble or YouTube, uterdixon and join us next time. Have a blessed day.

[J.T. Young]

Shh. You won't believe what my new friend just told me about dinosaurs.

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[Zing Singh]

Hi, I'm Zing Singh.

[Simon Jack]

And I'm Simon Jack.

[Zing Singh]

And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

The podcast exploring how some of the world's richest people people made their fortunes.

[Zing Singh]

And we are back with a brand new season of billionaires.

[Simon Jack]

Yes, movie megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger, America's richest.

[Zing Singh]

Self made businesswoman Diane Hendricks and co.

[Simon Jack]

Founder of Snapchat Evan Spiegel, to name just a few.

[Zing Singh]

And we're asking you to decide if they're good, bad or just another billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

Good bad billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[Zing Singh]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Tudor Dixon]

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that.

[Travis Holloway]

And we're not stopping at success stories.

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What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same.

[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartradio app.

[Tudor Dixon]

This is an iHeart podcast.