# Donald Trump — "They're animals in many cases" > [!quote] "I'm sorry to say, but assassination is a big deal for them... They're animals in many cases." > — Donald Trump, Faith & Freedom Coalition 2026 Policy Conference, Washington Hilton, June 26, 2026 ## Context Delivered during the speech that debuted the GOP's "godless communists" midterm frame — see [[Trump Faith and Freedom Coalition Speech]] for the full container. Trump was referring to Democrats and the democratic socialist left, days after [[Democratic Socialists of America]]-backed candidates won Democratic primaries in New York and D.C. The assassination line carried added charge from the setting: he spoke at the same Washington Hilton where, earlier in 2026, a gunman who authorities say was attempting to kill him was subdued. ## Why this matters "Animals" is a dehumanization marker Trump previously reserved for MS-13, gang members, and immigrants; this is its extension to the domestic political opposition — an escalation in the pre-midterm rhetoric, paired in the same speech with claims that Democrats "will close your churches" and "kill your people." Dehumanizing language directed at political opponents is a classic precursor-permission structure for political violence (see [[Dehumanization]], [[Stochastic Terrorism]]), and here it is fused with a [[Red Scare]] frame that recasts the opposition party as an existential, subhuman threat rather than a political rival. ## Verification - **Reporting:** [CNN (Adam Cancryn), June 26, 2026](https://krdo.com/news/2026/06/26/trump-ramps-up-attacks-on-democrats-as-godless-communists-ahead-of-novembers-midterms/) — renders the passage as two contiguous quotes: "I'm sorry to say, but assassination is a big deal for them," he said... "They're animals in many cases." [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2026/06/26/trump-hits-democrats-as-godless-communists-ahead-of-midterms/) independently reports the "animals" characterization from the same speech; [full video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dikuG6dEQNs). - **Status:** Verbatim, undisputed; the ellipsis joins CNN's two contiguous fragments. ## Related quotes - The other receipts from this speech ("hardcore, godless communists," "close your churches... kill your people," communism-as-"cancer") live on the speech page: [[Trump Faith and Freedom Coalition Speech]].