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President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that the Democratic candidate for mayor of the country’s most populous city is “communists.”
“If a communist is elected to run New York, that’s never the same,” the president insisted as he spoke with reporters at a cabinet meeting in the White House.
Trump had mentioned Zoran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Queens Democratic Socialist rally two weeks ago, a persuasive victory over nine other candidates in the primary for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City’s Democratic mayor.
For Republicans, the strategy to respond to Mamdani’s victory is to mercilessly portray Mamdani, who took a big step towards becoming New York City’s first Muslim mayor, securing him to Democrats across the country ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Conspiracy to Stop the Mamdani: Democrats scramble to prevent the far left acquisition in New York
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani will be taking part in a major nightly victory party in New York City on Wednesday, June 25th, 2025. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
For Democrats, that’s more complicated.
Mamdani surged to major victories thanks to an energetic campaign focused on affordable prices and high cost of living in New York City.
He wisely used social media platforms, including Tiktok. He proposed eliminating fares for taking New York City’s vast bus system, creating rent to freeze Cuny (City University in New York) into “tuition-free” city homes, providing “free childcare” for children up to five years old, and establishing a government-run grocery store.
Resurrected Mamdani Photos gush out social media firestorm
Thanks to the efforts of the massive grassroots military, Mamdani came first on top of the leading frontrunner Cuomo, riding a wave of support from younger and progressive voters.
When asked what Mamdani’s victory means to the party, I think it’s clear that voters prioritize a wide range of clean-up changes, not just progressive changes.
Zohran Mamdani raises his hand with Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, at a campaign event held in New York City’s Harlem district on June 28, 2025 (Getty Images via Adam Gray/Bloomberg)
And Kaiazzo, a veteran of Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, said one reason for Mamdani’s victory was that he met tirelessly, “there are voters.”
However, the Mamdani political earthquake appears to have exacerbated tensions between the party’s moderates and the progressive wing. It also encouraged existing debates about Democratic policies, or whether the message would condemn the election retreat last November.
“The Democrats continue to have a rift in their own party, which has been exacerbated by Mamdani’s candidacy,” said Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and president of the University of New England.
Mamdani’s professor father claimed Hitler, inspired by Abraham Lincoln.
In New York, top Democrat leaders, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and House minority leader Hakem Jeffries, have praised Mamdani’s campaign. And they defended him from Trump’s attacks, but for now they’re refraining from supporting the mayoral candidate.
Democrat strategist Lauren Hitt works for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) and worked for the Biden Harris 2024 presidential campaign. This year, she helped Super PAC Boost Mamdani and told Fox News that his main victory was “a clear rejection of the old security guard.”
Even Matt Bennett, executive vice president of a medium democratic group, admitted in the third way that Mamdani “focused on affordability.”
Bennett added that Mamdani is “young, charismatic, a great communicator. It’s all great. We want to see it.”
But Bennett told Fox News, “The problem is he has the wrong prescription.”
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Without a single leader running the Democrats, the internal debate continues, just as the party works to escape the political wilderness.
However, Kaiazzo warned that he “has not read much” what Mamdani’s victory means for the whole party, claiming that “Republicans are doing too much from now on.”
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter based in swing state in New Hampshire. He covers campaign trails from coast to coast. ”
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