Zohran Mamdani stopped by Fox News on Wednesday, deftly refusing to be baited into talking about the war between Israel and Hamas.
The progressive candidate for mayor of New York City has been smeared as an extremist, blamed for electoral losses on the other side of the country and criticized for eating rice. Speaking with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, Mamdani ducked attempts to paint him as a supporter of Hamas militants. When asked whether he thought Hamas should disarm and leave leadership positions in Gaza, Mamdani pushed the conversation back toward New York.
“I believe that any future here in New York City is one that we have to make sure that’s affordable for all. And as it pertains to Israel and Palestine, that we need to ensure that there is peace, and that is the future that we fight for,” he said. “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety, and the fact that anything has to abide by international law. And that applies to Hamas, that applies to the Israeli military, applies to anyone you could ask me about.”
President Donald Trump has been a frequent critic of the mayoral hopeful, even threatening federal funding for New York City in the event of a Mamdani win. During the interview, Mamdani took a moment to address the president directly, introducing himself as a different kind of politician from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and current Mayor Eric Adams.
“He may be watching right now, and I just want to speak directly to the president,” Mamdani said. “I will not be a mayor like Mayor [Eric] Adams, who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail. I won’t be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo, who will call you to ask how to win this election. I can do those things on my own. I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living.”
Watch the interview below via YouTube:
