MAGA fans and conservative pundits reacted with angry racist remarks after Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is also Muslim, handily defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member, entered the crowded Democratic primary last fall as a relative unknown. But in recent weeks, he surged in the polls thanks to grassroots campaigning, viral social media content, and policy platforms that resonated with younger and first-time voters.
A longtime advocate for Palestinian rights, Mamdani co-founded his college’s first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and has been outspoken in his criticism of Israel’s military actions following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. While expressing grief over the loss of both Israeli and Palestinian lives, he denounced Israel’s electricity cuts to Gaza and called the occupation a “horrific war crime.”
His stance has drawn backlash, including from some Jewish organizations who argue his views and Muslim identity reflect antisemitism—a charge Mamdani rejects. He has spoken publicly about receiving hate messages, including ones declaring, “the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.”
These attacks were front and center as the most devout MAGA followers attacked him following his historic win.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer erroneously connected Mamdani to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, which were orchestrated by Islamic extremists:
"New Yorkers forgot all about the victims of 9/11 killed by Muslims. Now a Muslim Communist will be the mayor of New York City. Get out while you can."
You can see her post below.
President Donald Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller—known as the architect behind the Trump administration's discriminatory immigration policies—claimed Mamdani's win would be New York's downfall:
"The commentary about NYC Democrats nominating an anarchist-socialist for Mayor omits one point: how unchecked migration fundamentally remade the NYC electorate. Democrats change politics by changing voters. That’s how you turn a city that defined US dominance into what it is now."
You can see his post below.
Clay Travis, the founder of the conservative sports and political commentary website Outkick, appeared on Fox News to bemoan what he called a "disaster maybe worse than Chicago, worse than LA."
Pastor Greg Locke, a Tennessee-based Christian nationalist and conspiracy theorist, tweeted:
"NEW YORK CITY has fallen. The demonic sounds of Islamic prayer calls will soon be heard throughout the streets. The trash will pile higher than ever. Jews and Christians will be hated. Rape will skyrocket. NYC will be the next London."
You can see his post below.
Staten Island conservative blogger Melissa Chapman-Mushnick also lashed out, writing:
"Besides the fact that Mamdani is a rabid antisemite, he’s also a socialist who hates law enforcement. He is here to destroy America from the inside out. Anyone who loves America, needs to vote against him. G-d Help Us!! G-d Bless America."
You can see her post below.
Conservative influencer Buddy Coleman claimed that Mamdani is a "Muslim [who] wants to kill Christians [sic] Americans," calling his win "ridiculous."
But many see these racist attacks for what they are.
If elected in November, Mamdani would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor—a milestone that has energized the city’s approximately one million Muslim residents. His campaign prominently embraced his faith, with regular mosque visits and messaging that connected his background to the city’s broader diversity.
In one early campaign video, Mamdani used the rising price of a halal cart meal to illustrate the city’s affordability crisis. In another, he filmed himself breaking his Ramadan fast with a massive burrito while riding the subway.
Mamdani has been very clear "that to stand in public as a Muslim is also to sacrifice the safety that we can sometimes find in the shadows."
MAGA, you've met your match.
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