President Donald Trump is now telling Democrats to get rid of their own party name, arguing it no longer fits who they are. He said the party has become a combination of socialists and communists, and that the word Democrat is a very inaccurate name. Trump also repeated his own nickname for the party, Dumocrats, which he has pushed in speeches and social media posts in recent months. He has said the label came to him while thinking about House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and has explained it as a play on the word dumb.

The comments fit a pattern of Trump's attacks as the midterm campaign heats up. He has repeatedly lumped democratic socialists and communists together, including in a June post attacking what he called godless communists after left-leaning primary wins in New York. Fact-checkers and reporters note that no self-identified communists are running on the Democratic ticket or serving in elected office, and that the candidates he has targeted are members of the Democratic Socialists of America, a group that pursues its goals through elections. Whether or not the party ever considers a name change, which there is no sign it will, the remarks show how the fight over labels is becoming a major part of the final stretch before voters head to the polls.