Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin found himself in the middle of a MAGA-inspired firestorm after comparing the United States under President Donald Trump to Iran’s Islamic theocracy – a remark that quickly sparked outrage across conservative circles and social media platforms.
Martin’s comments came amid nationwide protests following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother of three Renee Goode in Minnesota by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Fox News reported Friday. As demonstrations spread in Minneapolis and in cities across the country, Martin took to X.
“From Tehran to my birthplace of Minneapolis, people are rising up against systems that wield violence without accountability,” he wrote, accusing both governments of authoritarian behavior over the weekend. He went on to describe Iran as “a far-right theocratic regime that crushes dissent and denies basic freedoms.”
The comparison drew immediate condemnation from MAGA critics.
“Number one, Ken Martin is a worthless piece of c**p,” Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said in an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity." "Can you imagine this guy fighting for freedom? To compare President Trump and the Trump regime to the ayatollah means you got the worst case of Trump derangement syndrome in the world. Go to hell."
The conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board also weighed in, calling Martin’s remarks “morally obtuse” and a “slur against his own country." Meanwhile, Fox News pointed out that the DNC head’s remarks came as Iranian protests have resulted in more than 2,600 deaths.
Conservative social media users also chimed in, slamming the comparison as “disgraceful" and “insanely ridiculous” in a swarm of posts targeting the Democrat.
“What an absurd and deluded comparison!!!” Neil Stone, an infectious disease doctor, told his followers on X.
“If this is the messaging that the Democrats are going with, I'm amazed. Just an insanely ridiculous comparison,” historian Mike Cote wrote on X.
“Still absolutely insane that Ken Martin compared a bunch of LARPers in Minneapolis getting pepper sprayed for opposing deportations to Iranians being murdered by the thousands for standing up to the Islamic regime,” Townhall.com columnist Dustin Grage posted to X.
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