California Rep. Ro Khanna released a video on Aug. 15, 2026, attacking senior Democratic leaders he said lost two consecutive races to President Trump, declaring them unfit to dismiss new ideas as radical.
Speaking at the Democratic National Committee summer meeting in Austin, Khanna outlined an aggressive economic agenda. "Our vision for this party is to deliver America's next New Deal," he said, proposing "Medicare for All" with "no excuses or half measures for universal health care." He added calls for free childcare and a federal job-creation program.
Khanna drew a stark class line in his pitch: "We are for the working class over the Epstein class."
The remarks sparked swift backlash on social media. Critics seized on Khanna's own wealth to accuse him of hypocrisy, with users calling him a "hypocritical multi-millionaire champagne socialist" and arguing he himself belongs to the wealthy class he was attacking. Others dismissed the proposals as economically unrealistic.
Khanna has emerged as a persistent thorn in party leadership. He has praised what he calls a "new generation of leaders" and previously attacked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over the votes of eight moderate Democrats to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. He has repeatedly called for the "old guard" of the Democratic establishment to step aside, especially on questions of immigration enforcement, worker power versus artificial intelligence, and campaign finance reform.
The speech reflects deepening internal fights over Democratic strategy after recent electoral defeats. The party remains fractured over how ambitious its platform should be and whether such proposals can win back voters.
