President Donald Trump was correct to say that communism is "completely inconsistent with the American form of government, and it has to be confronted," former Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum told Newsmax on Sunday.
Appearing on "Sunday Report" with co-hosts Bill Spadea and Krysia Lenzo, Santorum praised Trump's Fourth of July address marking the nation's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, saying the president properly highlighted the enduring clash between America's founding principles and communist ideology.
"The president is right," Santorum said. "It's completely inconsistent with the American form of government, and it has to be confronted."
Santorum said Trump's remarks reflected the nation's founding belief that rights come from God rather than government.
"Our country is based on the idea of God-given rights," he said. "Communism is godless. Communism is its own religion."
He argued that rejecting God-given rights inevitably leads to government supremacy.
"If you don't believe in God, well, you don't believe in God-given rights," Santorum said. "You believe in government-given rights. The government controls, and government is the power."
Santorum warned that communist ideology represents an internal danger to the United States, citing Abraham Lincoln's warning that America would not fall to a foreign invasion but could be destroyed "from within."
He accused much of the Democratic Party of failing to confront what he called an "existential threat," while giving credit to a handful of Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, for speaking out against the party's progressive wing.
"You have a party that is now not confronting it, but embracing it," Santorum said, adding that Democrat leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have remained largely silent.
Earlier in the interview, Santorum also praised Trump's Fourth of July celebration despite severe weather that temporarily delayed festivities on the National Mall.
He called the president "an amazing man with stamina," noting Trump remained energized throughout the evening, including the fireworks display.
Santorum said he was especially moved by the appearance of a 100-year-old veteran saluting the American flag during the ceremony and praised Trump for focusing on the sacrifices made throughout the nation's 250-year history.
"It wasn't a political speech, which was great to see," Santorum said, while noting Trump's brief warning that America would never become a communist country was appropriate given the nation's founding values.
Turning to foreign policy, Santorum said chants of "Death to America" and "Kill Trump" during funeral events for Iran's slain supreme leader demonstrate the Islamic regime's hostility has not changed despite renewed negotiations.
"They've been chanting 'Death to America' since 1979," Santorum said. "The big focus of the Iranian regime is to destroy the United States of America."
While supporting Trump's military action against Iran, Santorum expressed skepticism that Tehran would honor any future agreement, arguing the regime "has to be confronted" because it remains committed to terrorism, regional aggression, and ultimately, acquiring nuclear weapons.
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