Ayn Rand being interviewed in 1959 – Screencap of YouTube video.
Ayn Rand was a controversial figure, but as someone who escaped the former Soviet Union, she knew a thing or two about the dangers of communism.
She was disliked by people on the left and the right because while she vehemently opposed communism, she was also a vocal atheist who disliked expressions of faith.
Most of all, Rand absolutely despised collectivism. She was a fierce defender of individual rights.
After Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural speech, in which he embraced collectivism, it is time to revisit Ayn Rand’s warnings on the topic.
This is from a 1959 interview she did with Mike Wallace, who was snide and condescending to her throughout the segment. Still, Rand held her own and made her points very well.
Transcript via PressBooks:
Mike Wallace: Let’s move ahead. How does your philosophy translate itself into the world of politics? Now one of the principle achievements of this country in the past 20 years, particularly, I think most people agree, is the gradual growth of social and protective legislation based on the principle that we are our brother’s keepers. How do you feel about the political trends of the United States, the Western world?
Ayn Rand: The way everybody feels, except more consciously. I feel that it is terrible, that you see destruction all around you, and that you are moving toward disaster until, and unless, all those welfare state conceptions have been reversed and rejected. It is precisely these trends which are bringing the world to disaster, because we are now moving towards complete collectivism, or socialism. A system under which everybody is enslaved to everybody, and we are moving that way only because of our altruist morality.
Watch the clip below:
“Moving toward disaster.”
Long before Zohran Mamdani landed on the shores of the United States preaching “the warmth of collectivism,” one person saw all of this coming: Ayn Rand.
In a 1959 interview with Mike Wallace, Rand issued a warning that feels eerily prophetic… https://t.co/InfeH9DiJB pic.twitter.com/ybIY52rFMv
— Overton (@overton_news) January 2, 2026
In this longer clip, you can get more context of what Rand was talking about:
You do not need to agree with Ayn Rand on everything to appreciate the points she was making here. She knew that communism leads to destruction and she had a very healthy distrust of big government.
Mamdani is the exact opposite. He is going to try to embrace collectivism, even though it has failed throughout history.
The post Author and Philosopher Ayn Rand Warned America About Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Collectivism’ More Than 60 Years Ago (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.