Former President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on 33-year-old Democratic Socialist Zahraan Mamdani after his surprise victory in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor on Tuesday night. Posting on his platform Truth Social, Trump derided Mamdani as a “hundred percent communist lunatic.”
“Zahraan Mamdani has won the Democratic primary and is now on his way to becoming mayor. We’ve seen radical leftists before, but this one is over the edge. His voice is unbearable, and he’s not very bright,” Trump wrote.
Trump also took aim at prominent Democrats who supported Mamdani, singling out Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and mockingly referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as “our great Palestinian senator,” accusing him of caving to Mamdani’s political influence.
Mamdani, who has served as a state assemblyman for Astoria, Queens, since 2021, is now poised to become a major force in the city’s leadership. His progressive platform includes proposals for free public bus service, rent control measures, and publicly funded grocery stores, financed through a $10 billion tax targeting large corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
A vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, Mamdani has drawn both praise and criticism for his activism. He has pledged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York, citing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant issued in November 2024. Mamdani has also participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement — a stance that has sparked backlash from pro-Israel groups.
Political analysts say Mamdani’s victory signals a growing appetite for progressive policies among Democratic voters and could reshape the party’s national direction. Republicans, meanwhile, are expected to use his win to argue that the Democratic Party is veering dangerously to the left ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
