Mamdani sidesteps ‘communism’ question, says his campaign is about ‘distribution of wealth’
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani dodged a question about President Donald Trump labeling him a “communist” when pressed by Fox News’ Nate Foy on Wednesday.
Referencing a Fox News Digital report, in which his supporters dismissed Mamdani’s “communist” label, Foy asked the self-described democratic socialist if the distinction between communism and socialism matters.
“Are there elements of communism in your platform?” Foy asked.
“The elements of my platform are all about affordability, and I am a democratic socialist,” Mamdani said. “When New Yorkers ask me what it means, I take them to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, who said, ‘Call it democracy or call it democratic socialism, there must be a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children in this country.'”
Since Mamdani’s primary upset earlier this summer, the Democratic mayoral nominee has been branded a “communist” by Trump.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI LAUNCHES ANTI-TRUMP TOUR ACROSS FIVE BOROUGHS IN NEW YORK CITY
Mamdani supporters who spoke to Fox News Digital at a canvass launch in Prospect Park on Sunday dismissed the term, arguing that his primary win represented more than arbitrary labels.
“It’s not necessarily communism that won the New York City primary, but the vision that he’s delivering for a more affordable New York,” said Nina, a door-knocker who wore an “Educators for Zohran” T-shirt on Sunday. “That’s what people voted for, and that’s what he won on, and that’s what he’s going to win on.”
Mamdani has been endorsed by progressive leaders, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Trump was quick to label him a “100% Communist Lunatic” after Mamdani declared victory in June.
Perry, another Brooklyn canvasser, flipped the script on Trump’s nickname for Mamdani, telling Fox News Digital to “look at the people who are saying he can’t do it or who are calling him a socialist or communist.”
Bridget, a New York City teacher, and Perry both shook their heads in disagreement when asked if those labels worry them.
“It’s not about ideology,” said Nicholas, a Mamdani supporter who volunteered in Prospect Park on Sunday for the campaign’s canvass launch. “It’s not trying to demonize these terms, communism and socialism, which, quite frankly, I think the American public does not have a very good idea of what those terms exactly mean.”
Fox News Digital posed the same question to everyday New Yorkers in Manhattan’s Union Square on Tuesday evening.
One voter, Ritvik, who said he was voting for Mamdani in the upcoming November election, despite usually leaning to the right, said the “communist” label didn’t ;phase him.
“That kind of rhetoric has always come from the Trump administration, so not particularly surprising to me,” Ritvik said.
Another Mamdani voter, Ian, told Fox News Digital that it’s “hard not to ignore the connection between the biggest city in America and the president.”
But despite Trump’s eagerness to criticize Mamdani, Ian said he appreciates that Mamdani is more focused on delivering for New Yorkers.
Mamdani hosted a weeklong “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour across New York City last week.
The mayoral hopeful spoke to reporters on Wednesday after joining the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council (HTC) union for a rally outside the Surrey Hotel.
The protesters criticized the hotel for allegedly not rehiring over 100 union workers who were laid off during the pandemic.
