EXCLUSIVE: New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, failed to answer questions from Fox News Digital about the critics who have branded him a communist and whether he plans to revise any of his far-left statements. Outside his home on Friday, Mamdani laughed off the inquiries and did not respond, despite mounting scrutiny as the mayor’s race between himself, Mayor Eric Adams, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa intensifies.
President Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr., are among the voices labeling Mamdani a “communist,” and many have called him a socialist. “It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor. We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous,” Trump posted to Truth Social.
Trump Jr. echoed a similar sentiment, saying it could be the “greatest marketing campaign for Florida,” which has become a haven for ex-New Yorkers and is currently led by conservatives. “But what happens to New York then? And as a lifelong New Yorker, as someone who grew up here, someone who changed the skyline here with my father for many years before he got into politics, that’s a scary notion, but perhaps it’s exactly what America needs. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom, and I think if this communist mayor gets elected, rock bottom is what New York’s going to see,” Trump Jr. said.
Mayor Eric Adams also raised concerns regarding Mamdani’s past comments, including a 2020 tweet in which he stated “Each according to their need, each according to their ability” in May 2020. “- Karl Marx Author of the The Communist Manifesto,” Adams, a former Democrat, replied on July 7.
A resurfaced video has also come under fire for his remarks on housing. “My platform is that every single person should have housing, and I think faced with these two options, the system has hundreds of thousands of people unhoused, right? For what?” Mamdani questioned in a resurfaced video that has circulated on social media.
“If there was any system that could guarantee each person housing, whether you call it the abolition of private property or you call it, you know, just a statewide housing guarantee, it is preferable to what is going on right now,” Mamdani added.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-NY, stated, “He claims to be a socialist, whether it’s wanting to abolish private property or wanting to seize the means of production, these are communist ideas right out of the playbook of Karl Marx.” Mamdani is scheduled to meet with House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies in New York City on Friday.
Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.