Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, berated calls to denaturalize rising American Muslim politician and NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, terming them as “disgusting.”
Schumer, who is considered one of the leading pro-Israel Democrats, spoke Friday in the backdrop of Conservative attacks against the 33-year-old Mamdani over his views as Democrat socialist as well as his criticism of Israeli prime minister’s conduct during Gaza war.
In a story headlined “MAGA erupts with Islamophobic attacks on Zohran Mamdani,” Axios publication reported that Republican politicians and GOP-aligned influencers citing past statements from Mamdani on Israel, defunding the police and socialism cast the Democratic hopeful as a “radical who will destroy America’s largest city.”
“That’s disgusting,” Schumer replied, when asked pointedly on Capitol Hill to comment on calls to deport Mamdani, who toppled Democratic establishment and pro-Israel candidate Andrew Cuomo in June 25 Democratic primary for this year’s NYC mayoral election.
Rising Muslim politician Zohran Mamdani wins Democratic nomination race for NYC mayor
New York Police are investigating hate threats hurled at Mamdani, a New York Assemblyman, during the primary campaign.
Earlier this week, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to denaturalize Mamdani, citing lyrics from a rap song Mamdani made in 2021. Some critics argue that Mamdani’s reference to “Holy Land Five” in the song spoke for members of the Muslim charity organization the Holy Land Foundation which was convicted in were in 2008 for providing material support to Palestinian militant organization Hamas.
Another member of Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) posted an image of the Statue of Liberty in burka, a traditional black cover that Muslim women wear in some cultures, captioning the image, “This hits hard.”
This hits hard. pic.twitter.com/YUrNTZW5lq
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) June 25, 2025
Later, she praised Mamdani for running a smart campaign while asserting she did not agree with anything he said.
Meanwhile, Democratic Party establishment has been unnerved by Mamdani’s mercurial success, which he built on with grassroots activism and massive outreach to all New Yorkers including the large Jewish community.
His focus on reducing the cost of living in the city particularly resonated with voters of different political persuasions.
Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani on a decisive primary victory.
Assemblyman Mamdani ran a strong campaign that relentlessly focused on the economy and bringing down the high cost of living in New York City.
We spoke this morning and plan to meet in Central Brooklyn shortly.
— Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) June 25, 2025
Senate Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both from New York, praised Mamdani’s “impressive” campaign but stopped short of announcing their full support for his nomination.
Both said they planned to meet Mamdani.
“Assemblyman Mamdani ran a strong campaign that relentlessly focused on the economy and bringing down the high cost of living in New York City,” Jeffries wrote.
Schumer noted in a post on X platform: “I have known [Mamdani] since we worked together to provide debt relief for thousands of beleaguered taxi drivers & fought to stop a fracked gas plant in Astoria.”
I have known @ZohranKMamdani since we worked together to provide debt relief for thousands of beleaguered taxi drivers & fought to stop a fracked gas plant in Astoria. He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity.
— Chuck Schumer (@chuckschumer) June 25, 2025
“He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity.”
The Gaza war has seen a rise in incidents related to antisemitism and Islamophobia in parts of the United States.
In an interview with CNBC Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents and became a U.S. citizen in 2018, said if elected mayor of the city, he would implement policies to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate crime.
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