# Tom Emmer Calls Democrats 'Communists' in ABC Debate

> House Majority Whip Tom Emmer accuses Democrats of being 'communists' during heated ABC exchange.
- Title: Tom Emmer Calls Democrats 'Communists' in ABC Debate
- Summary: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer accuses Democrats of being 'communists' during heated ABC exchange. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer claims Democratic candidates…
- Keywords: tom emmer, jon karl, democratic socialists of america, midterm ballot, house majority whip, republican party, gas prices, inflation, news, politics, Tom, Emmer
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/media/tom-emmer-tells-jon-karl-communists-midterm-ballot-heated-abc-exchange
- Author: Lindsay Kornick
- Published: 2026-10-11T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tom emmer, jon karl, democratic socialists of america, midterm ballot, house majority whip, republican party, gas prices, inflation, news, politics
## Tom Emmer and Jon Karl clash
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., pushed back against ABC's "This Week" host Jon Karl after he insisted there aren’t a lot of communists on the ballot.

> there aren’t a lot of communists on the ballot
## Emmer criticizes gas prices
Emmer said $4 gas and $6 diesel are entirely unacceptable and that Republicans agree but it’s not enough to vote for communists.

> i would say this on that $4 gas $6 diesel entirely unacceptable
## Karl responds to Emmer
Karl replied most democrats wouldn’t say they’re communists so there aren’t a lot of communists on the ballot in these midterms.

> so there aren’t a lot of communists on the ballot in these midterms
## Emmer calls Democrats socialists
Emmer interrupted saying they are communists and marxists and that they want to defund police prisons and government-only health care.

> they want to defund the police they want to defund prisons they want government-only health care
## Emmer criticizes media reporting
Emmer accused media of misreporting inflation and gas prices under Biden versus Trump with lower prices under Trump.

> i hate to point the finger at you and the other journalists but have you reported that under joe biden the average was over $5 a gallon
## Emmer names socialist candidates
Emmer identified democratic socialists of america-backed candidates as anti-American and accused them of supporting terrorists and toxic masculinity.

> these people are anti american more than anything else
## Key takeaway

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer claims Democratic candidates are 'communists, Marxists and anarchists' during a heated debate with ABC's Jon Karl.