Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused President Donald Trump of pursuing what she described as “socialism for the rich” during an appearance Thursday on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.”

As Breitbart reported, the exchange came as co-host Joe Scarborough discussed the political arguments Democrats and Republicans are expected to face heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

Scarborough argued that Democrats are increasingly being portrayed as communists or socialists while Republicans face less attention over Trump.

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“In 2004, you know, they used gay marriage on all of the, on as many ballots as they could get gay marriage on. Of course, it’s been trans athletes for the past decade. And Talarico certainly answered that well yesterday. Now it’s the DSA. Wherever I go, it’s like I hear guys like me saying, ‘Well, yeah. He’s crazy. But look at the other side. They’re communists. They’re socialists.’ Of course they don’t talk about Trump,” Scarborough said.

Clinton responded by saying that Trump frequently uses the terms “socialist” and “communist” when discussing his political opponents.

“I mean, every other word out of Trump’s mouth is socialist or communist. So, you know, they’re doing everything they can to throw the mud,” Clinton said.

Scarborough then shifted the discussion toward Trump’s business activities.

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“But again, he’s the one that’s taking over 30 companies,” Scarborough said.

Clinton responded with her characterization of Trump’s economic policies, saying, “Yeah. Well, he’s the one, you know, socialism for the rich and socialism for families’ interests.”

She then argued that Democrats should focus on their own policy agendas rather than allowing political labels to dominate the discussion.

“From my perspective, everybody has to run their own campaign,” Clinton said. She added that some rhetoric and policy proposals coming from the political left go too far, while arguing that the country is dealing with significant problems involving housing and health care.

“And I will say that some of the language and some of the positions on the far left go way too far. But on the other hand, we do have a housing crisis. We have a health care crisis,” Clinton said.

Clinton also referenced a recent event she held with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. She said that if Democrats regain control of the House, members should move forward with legislation addressing the issues they have campaigned on.

“So what I have said, and I did an event a two weeks ago with Hakeem Jeffries, and what I said is once we take the House, and we have a very big, diverse caucus, let people get to work,” Clinton said.

She specifically mentioned Medicare for All and subsidies associated with the Affordable Care Act as examples of proposals Democrats could pursue through legislation.

“Joe. If you want to introduce Medicare for all, write the bill. If you want to restore Affordable Care Act subsidies, write the bill,” Clinton said.

She concluded by calling for lawmakers to return their attention to legislating.

“Let’s get back to actually doing the work of legislating and making a difference.”

Clinton’s comments came as the 2026 midterm campaign increasingly features competing arguments over the role of government, economic policy and the direction of both major political parties.

The remarks also placed her directly into a broader debate over how Democrats should respond to Republican efforts to characterize the party as increasingly aligned with socialist policies.

Scarborough’s comments reflected that debate, as he pointed to the Democratic Socialists of America, transgender athletes and past ballot initiatives as examples of issues that have been used by Republicans and conservative critics to define Democratic candidates.

Clinton, however, acknowledged that some positions associated with the political left go too far while arguing that Democrats should emphasize issues such as housing and health care.

Her remarks did not represent a formal policy proposal but rather outlined how she believes Democratic candidates should approach the legislative agenda if they regain control of the House.

The exchange also highlighted the competing messages likely to shape the midterm political debate: Republicans emphasizing concerns about socialism and government expansion, while Democrats seek to focus attention on affordability, health care and housing.

The discussion comes during a closely watched election cycle in which both parties are attempting to define their opponents for voters before November's midterm elections.

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