New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, announced he would be taking a lengthy trip to Africa on Sunday, amid his campaign for the leadership of America’s largest city.
Mamdani, who defeated Andrew Cuomo by more than 12 percentage points in the Democratic primary to win the mayoral nomination, posted a video in anticipation of the criticism his trip to Uganda would receive.
In a defiant tone, Mamdani addressed the messages he said were “thousands” of messages on X advising him to “go back to Uganda where you belong” and “go back to Africa.”
“To be a politician is to listen, not just to your supporters but to your critics,” Mamdani said. “And some of these critics — particularly on a certain website — have been giving me continuous advice.”
“I hear you, and I agree. I will be going back to Uganda,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani stated that he would be visiting Uganda “in a personal capacity” to celebrate his wedding to Rama and family and friends.
“I want to apologize to my haters, because I will be back,” he said. Mamdani added in the accompanying post that he would return “before the end of this month.”
Attempting to control the narrative, Mamdani offered a number of mock headlines to condemn his overseas trip.
“And since you’re undoubtedly going to be reading about this trip in the New York Post, God willing, on the front page, here are a few of my humble suggestions for headlines,” Mamdani said, alluding to the New York-based paper.
He proposed sensationalized headlines such as “Missing? Mamdani in Africa,” “Uganda Misses Me,” or “He’s Frugally Insane,” referencing Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city.
Mamdani also suggested headlines: “He Can’t Be Serious About Africa!” and “Carl Kampalanile Investigates Mamdani” — a jab at the name of American investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, who uncovered the Watergate scandal.
“Zo-Running Away?” Mamdani said, offering a final headline before the video showed him and another supporter waving at the camera and the screen fading to the words “Zohran for Mayor.”
Mamdani is a dual citizen of the United States and Uganda. He was born in Uganda and raised in South Africa until moving to New York at age 7.
According to the New York Post, he owns 4 undeveloped acres in Jinja, Uganda, valued between $150,000 and $250,000. However, publicly available videos show Mamdani has in the past referenced “abolishing private property” — a tenet of communism.
His mother is a renowned Indian-American filmmaker. According to the Post, she owned a penthouse apartment valued at nearly $2 million in New York for about a decade before recently selling the asset.
His father is a professor at Columbia University and served on the advisory board of an anti-Israel organization. That organization advocates for boycotts and sanctions against Israel, often accusing the Israeli government of committing “genocide” and expressing sympathy for suicide bombers.
Mamdani’s campaign has caused concern within the Jewish community, as he declined to condemn the term “globalize the intifada” — a stance he has since walked back while trying to garner support from local business owners. Meanwhile, college campuses in New York City, including Columbia University, have seen an increase in antisemitism and anti-Israel protests since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Mamdani himself has defended BDS, or the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, stating at a town hall in May that the anti-Israel movement “fits the core of my politics, which is non-violence.”
Mamdani’s critics also condemn his campaign based on socialist ideals, including government-run grocery stores and rent freezes, despite his wealthy background.
After winning the Democratic primary, Mamdani emerged as the front-runner and has garnered support from progressive members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have been more hesitant about Mamdani.
It is extremely rare for Democratic primary winners to lose in the November general election, but Mamdani still faces Cuomo, who officially declared his independent candidacy last week. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is also running as an independent, along with former federal prosecutor Jim Walden. Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is the Republican mayoral candidate.
This article was contributed by Andrew Mark Miller, Cameron Cawthorne and Deirdre Heavy from Fox News.
