By Democrats seem to be losing it, and it’s starting at the top. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin has triggered a sweeping backlash after he doubled down on equating U.S. federal actions in Minneapolis with the Iranian regime’s repression of dissent, a comparison critics across the political spectrum derided as reckless and offensive.
From Tehran to my birthplace of Minneapolis, people are rising up against systems that wield violence without accountability.
In Iran, brave protestors confront a far-right theocratic regime that crushes dissent and denies basic freedoms. Here at home, tens of thousands are…
— Ken Martin (@kenmartin73) January 11, 2026
The controversy erupted after Martin responded to a post on Twitter that mocked his initial analogy. In his rebuttal, Martin wrote: “If comparing the U.S. to Iran makes you angry, ask why. Killing protesters. Crushing dissent. Kidnapping and disappearing legal citizens. Ignoring courts. Threatening critics. Terrorizing communities. That’s authoritarian behavior—anywhere.” He went on to accuse President Donald Trump of “pushing it” and vowed that “Minneapolis won’t be silent.”
If comparing the U.S. to Iran makes you angry, ask why. Killing protesters. Crushing dissent. Kidnapping and disappearing legal citizens. Ignoring courts. Threatening critics. Terrorizing communities. That’s authoritarian behavior—anywhere. If you’re rushing to defend it, maybe… https://t.co/nh6krxBHul
— Ken Martin (@kenmartin73) January 11, 2026
This isn’t the first time the leader of the DNC has seemed to be losing it. In October he questioned whether or not he wanted to continue in the role after a disastrous start saw the party near bankruptcy.
Demonstrations by leftwing activists intensified as federal forces were deployed under the Trump administration to restore order, with clashes reported between protesters and law enforcement. Democrats have grown increasingly accepting of violence over the past few years.
Defenders of Martin framed his analogy as a warning against democratic backsliding, pointing to Iran’s brutal crackdowns during the 2022–2023 uprisings after the death of Mahsa Amini. But critics said the comparison trivialized decades of repression under Iran’s theocratic rule. Conservative commentator Kaitlin wrote that “the leader of the Democrats is saying the United States is the same as a murderous extremist theocracy,” calling the claim “disgusting and un-American.”
Others simply used photos from Iran to rebut the ridiculous comparison outright:
" The United States and the Islamic Republic are the same thing" https://t.co/nS0DMDxvvQ pic.twitter.com/mV7V1odPZ1
— Zineb Riboua (@zriboua) January 12, 2026
The Daily Signal noted that Iran has seen sustained anti-government protests, with security forces reportedly killing over 500 demonstrators and detaining thousands in an effort to suppress dissent.
The protests began in late December in response to Iran’s collapsing economy under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The regime has responded by violently cracking down on political opposition and accusing President Donald Trump of fomenting the uprising.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, protests have erupted after an ICE officer fired multiple shots at 37-year-old Renee Good on Wednesday, who local and federal officials say was in the neighborhood to monitor ICE activity. Federal officials allege that Good tried to run over an ICE agent with her car before he opened fire.
Video footage showed agents approaching her car in the middle of the road and asking her to step out. The footage revealed that she then moved the car back, looked forward in the agent’s direction, and quickly moved the car toward him.
This is the body cam footage of the officer Renee Good HIT with her car.
Anyone saying this is murder, from this point forward is guilty of slander.
— Daniel Todd (@Usmclm) January 9, 2026
For many on the left, the shooting of Good has turned into a political myth rather than a straightforward account of the encounter, with some commentators declining to acknowledge that a federal officer was struck by her vehicle. For example, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof appeared to invert the sequence of events in his account.
As someone who covered Tiananmen in 1989, it pains me to feel the need to retweet this about the US. https://t.co/MIaoLdN7Jd
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) January 11, 2026
Other liberal outlets have tried to downplay the incident while admitting that Good did hit the ICE officer with her car. For example, PBS wrote that the officer was “knocked backward” by Good’s vehicle but offered no explanation for how that could have occurred without direct impact.
Hmm — @PBS claims the ICE agent in Minneapolis appears to have been "knocked backward but not hit" by Good's vehicle, without explaining how exactly a person can be knocked backward by a car without also being hit. pic.twitter.com/y2zl1DfHG6
— Elle Reynolds Purnell (@_ellepurnell) January 9, 2026
Even liberal NBA coaches have gotten in on the act. Doc Rivers, for example, completely misconstrued what actually happened in a press conference following a game.
Doc Rivers said ICE murdered a 100% innocent woman on her way home. The NBA is broken and keeps lighting its brand on fire. This is 100% untrue. pic.twitter.com/x6w8DVGuIo
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 10, 2026
As protests continue in Minneapolis, civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union have filed lawsuits alleging excessive force. The White House has defended the ICE operation as a matter of national security, while Trump has insisted that “law and order must prevail.”
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