Washington’s Latest Political Source? A Chatbot

Hands typing on laptop with chatbot interface overlay — Photo: NicoElNino / Shutterstock

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says an AI chatbot backed up what he’s been saying for years: Democrats want to turn red states blue by changing who gets to vote.

Quick Take

Mullin says he asked ChatGPT how to turn a red state blue right before a Fox News appearance.
He says the chatbot’s first answer was that voting demographics must change.
Mullin tied that answer to his claim that Democrats use immigration to reshape the electorate.
Sixty Democratic candidates have signed a pledge saying “we are capitalist, not socialist.”
Mullin has made similar socialism accusations against Democrats for years, long before this AI chat.

Mullin’s Fox News Claim About AI and Immigration

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox News he turned to ChatGPT to check his theory about the Democratic Party. He said he typed in a simple question: how do you change a red state to a blue state? He claims the chatbot’s first answer pointed straight to voting demographics, and he read that as proof of a deliberate strategy.

Mullin didn’t stop at demographics. He said the Democratic Party’s real goal is turning America into a socialist country, and he argued immigration is the tool being used to get there. He claimed changing who lives in a state changes how that state votes, and framed this as a plan, not an accident.

Mullin made these comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” where he laid out what he said the Democratic Party “knows” about winning elections long-term. For a sitting Cabinet secretary, using a chatbot to make a political argument on live television is an unusual move, and it quickly became the headline instead of the policy point he was trying to make.

A Pattern of Warnings From the DHS Chief

This isn’t new territory for Mullin. Back when he served in the Senate, he warned on Newsmax that Democrats were working to control energy, healthcare, and food, calling it a slow shift away from the constitutional republic toward socialism. He’s used the word “socialist” to describe Democratic policy for years, including blaming what he called Biden’s “socialist agenda” for high gas prices.

On Hannity, Mullin once joked about Democratic leaders being “socialists,” pointing to the party’s internal disagreements as proof the far left was taking over. Supporters see this as straight talk about a real ideological drift. Critics say the label gets used loosely, no matter who’s actually running the party at any given moment.

Democrats Push Back With Capitalist Pledge

Moderate Democrats have answered this kind of charge directly. Sixty Democratic candidates and sitting officeholders signed a pledge stating plainly, “We are capitalist, not socialist”. One candidate, Shah, told Reuters, “I’m not a socialist. I believe in capitalism as a great tool for promoting human prosperity”.

Michigan candidate Abdul El-Sayed made a similar point, telling TIME he’s “not a socialist” while praising how capitalism allocates resources. A separate group of House Democrats signed what they called “The Promise to America,” repeating the same capitalist line. The Associated Press has also noted that Democrats aligned with democratic socialism still fall far short of communist goals like abolishing private property.

What Experts Say About AI and Political Claims

Researchers who study artificial intelligence and misinformation say chatbot answers can sound confident and factual even when they’re just guesses built from patterns in text. A review of dozens of studies found these programs can produce convincing but shaky claims, especially on hot-button political topics. Public worry about AI-driven misinformation is already high, separate from how any one leader chooses to use the tool.

DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin Says He Used ChatGPT To Learn Democrats' Plan to Make U.S. 'A Socialist Country' https://t.co/R3NLwBhGzl

— Mediaite (@Mediaite) October 6, 2026

None of that proves Mullin’s underlying claim wrong. Whether Democrats have a coordinated socialist plan remains a matter of political debate, not something a chatbot can settle either way. What’s clear is that a top Trump administration official used an AI tool to back up a years-long argument about immigration, demographics, and the direction of the Democratic Party, and that argument is now getting national attention.