Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the far-left “squad” member from Washington, offered a glowing assessment of socialism while claiming that democratic socialist countries enjoy “much more trust in government.” She also presented government as “the great equalizer of opportunity.”

As Breitbart reported, Jayapal made the remarks during an interview released Thursday on the It’s Open with Ilana Glazer podcast. Her pitch combined praise for government power with accusations that the “right wing,” “fascists,” and billionaires deliberately encourage public distrust.

“It is really important to the right wing, to the fascists, and all the people who want to control this country, and the billionaires, that people don’t trust government,” Jayapal said.

Gun Laws Have Changed! Protect yourself by knowing where you can and cannot carry your firearm, so you can travel with confidence.

Her argument rested on the notion that public confidence in government is central to socialism. According to Jayapal, those who believe in democratic socialism see government as the largest institution capable of providing for basic needs.

“Because, back to the idea of socialism, the idea for people who are democratic socialists, who believe in socialism, the concept is that government is the great equalizer of opportunity,” she said.

Jayapal then made the description personal, explaining how she views the role of government. Rather than treating government as merely one institution among many, she described it as the biggest available force for equalizing opportunity.

“That’s how I think about it,” Jayapal said.

“It’s the biggest entity out there that can make sure that you have basic needs provided for,” she continued.

The Washington Democrat argued that this view threatens people who want a small number of wealthy individuals to control everything. She linked criticism of government corruption or inefficiency to a broader effort to weaken public faith in the institution.

“And that idea is very dangerous to people who want just a few very wealthy people to control everything, right?” Jayapal said.

She claimed critics become more effective when they convince people that government is corrupt or inefficient. In Jayapal’s telling, skepticism about government is not simply a response to government performance, but something advanced by those seeking control.

“And so, the more they can undermine our faith in government, the more they can say government is corrupt, government is this, government is that, it’s inefficient, it’s et cetera, et cetera — the more effective they can be in having people not trust government,” she said.

Jayapal expanded her argument beyond the United States by pointing to Europe and unspecified other places around the world. She said people in those countries trust government, although she acknowledged that such confidence has eroded over time.

She characterized those nations as socialist or democratic socialist countries. Her explanation for their supposedly greater trust was that government had provided many basic fundamentals for an extended period.

“She went on to say that in “countries around the world and Europe and other places, people trust government.”” is not included here because Jayapal’s own quoted statement supplied the point directly.

“That’s been eroded over time, but those are socialist countries,” Jayapal said.

“They are democratic socialist countries,” she continued.

“And in many of those places, there’s so much more trust in government because government has provided a lot of the fundamentals for a long time,” she said.

Jayapal also claimed that confidence in government within those countries is being weakened partly because of the United States. She did not provide further details in the supplied remarks about how the United States allegedly contributed to that erosion.

“That’s being eroded in part because of the role of the United States, frankly,” she said.

Pramila Jayapal: It is really important to the fascists that people don't trust government. Europe has democratic socialist countries, and in many of those places, there's much more trust in government, 'cause government has provided a lot of the fundamentals for a long time. https://t.co/m4adDPBR71

— Ezydu (@ezradulis) October 29, 2026

The interview left little doubt about Jayapal’s preferred framing. Government was cast as an equalizer and provider, while distrust was blamed on the right, fascists, billionaires, and others she accused of wanting control.