Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) co-chair Megan Romer doubled down this week in her viral Fox News interview, describing the U.S. Senate as an institution with “no real purpose.”
Romer spoke on the Bad Faith podcast, hosted by Briahna Joy Gray. Gray once served as national press secretary for Bernie Sanders. The appearance followed Romer’s Fox News Sunday interview from days earlier that drew backlash from both parties. On the podcast, Romer defended the DSA platform and hit back at critics who called her earlier remarks radical.
Gray asked why anyone would defend the Senate, saying people talk about the chamber “like it’s their emotional support animal.” Romer agreed and reached back to the founding to make her case.
“James Madison argues in Federalist 10, they’re trying to sell the Constitution,” Romer said. “They’re trying to sell it to people who don’t want democracy. And they’re like, ‘Don’t worry, it’s not too much democracy. We’ve got all these checks and balances where these rich landowners will be able to stop the people from doing stuff.’”
The DSA leader then dismissed the Senate as a broken body that blocks action and protects entrenched interests.
“They have this sclerotic institution that just says no to everything and has no real purpose other than to entrench bad ideas,” Romer said. “So, yes, I don’t think we should run from it.”
Romer sat with Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream on July 26 for a rapid-fire round on the DSA platform. Romer answered “true” or “absolutely” when Bream asked whether the group backs abolishing the Senate, replacing the presidency and Supreme Court “as we now know them,” abolishing ICE, defunding the Pentagon, and public ownership of most large corporations. Romer said abolishing borders with amnesty for people in the country illegally, along with abolishing prisons, would come as part of a “long-term plan.”
Bream pressed Romer on the Senate during that interview. Romer called it “an anachronistic institution” tied to the British House of Lords and said the DSA wants a single-chamber legislature.
Republicans seized on the earlier clip. “The barbarians are inside the gate, and Democrats are WELCOMING them in,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wrote on social media.
Democrats also distanced themselves. Party strategist Sabrina Singh called the platform a “huge problem.” Annie Andrews, a Democrat running for Senate in South Carolina, called the ideas “unhinged.”
DSA-backed candidates are racking up primary wins in New York City, Philadelphia, and Denver, fueled by the rise of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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