Dan Bongino says Democrats have 'lost the middle class completely'

WASHINGTON, DC: Former Deputy Director of the FBI and podcast host Dan Bongino accused the Democratic Party of becoming disconnected from working-class Americans, saying the party has “lost the middle class completely” while mocking what he described as profanity-filled attempts to sound relatable to voters frustrated with the economy and rising inequality.

Bongino framed the Democratic Party as a party split between wealthy elites and struggling voters dependent on government support. His remarks landed as economic anxiety continues dominating political conversations across the country.

Dan Bongino pokes holes in Democratic strategy

“There are only two groups of people who are Democrats now. Only two,” Bongino said while criticizing the party’s connection to working-class voters.

“There’s these super-rich Karens who... they can be whatever they want because it doesn’t really matter so they can live in the world of ideas,” he added.

Bongino then turned his focus toward lower-income Americans, saying there are “really poor folks who've been given money by the Democrats, taking money from the super rich to pay them off!”

The sharpest line came when Bongino argued Democrats no longer understand working-class voters at all.

“They've lost the middle class completely,” he said.

Bongino also mocked what he described as Democratic politicians trying too hard to sound authentic with profanity-heavy messaging aimed at blue-collar Americans.

“So they think if they go out and do the Ruben Gallego and drop a few F-bombs inauthentically that all of a sudden a bunch of working-class coal miners from West Virginia are going to clamor to vote Democrat again!” Bongino said. “I don't think it's going to work. I think it's a really poor strategy.”

Economic frustration remains a central issue

Bongino’s comments come as concerns over affordability and middle-class stability continue shaping political frustration nationwide.

A New York Times/Siena poll conducted from January 12 to January 17 this year among 1,625 registered voters found growing anxiety around the cost of housing, education, health care, retirement, and raising families, with many voters saying a middle-class lifestyle feels increasingly out of reach.

That frustration has also surfaced across the political spectrum, including Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego, who warned that his party risks losing touch with voters angry over economic inequality. 

Rep Ro Khanna echoed some of those concerns, saying the American political and economic system is “no longer working for millions of working and middle class families.”

Khanna argued that both political parties spent years “defending a failed status quo” while inequality worsened and the economy became increasingly “lopsided and unfair.”

He also warned that establishment politicians continue “losing touch with voters” because they refuse to acknowledge “how broken the system has become.”

Bongino’s criticism leaned heavily into that same frustration, but with a sharper culture-war edge as he accused Democrats of relying on performative messaging instead of reconnecting with working-class Americans who feel economically squeezed.