Zohran Mamdani

Andrea Austria / Media Matters

Research/Study Research/Study

Right-wing media ramp up anti-Muslim attacks on Zohran Mamdani in the final days of the NYC mayoral election

Conservative media have claimed Mamdani “doesn’t give a shit that we were attacked by Muslim terrorists on 9/11,” and would be “cheering” on the attacks if they happened while he was mayor

Written by Gideon Taaffe & Reed McMaster

Published

With less than two weeks until the New York City mayoral election, right-wing media have been lobbing anti-Muslim attacks at New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, baselessly saying his ideology is not socialism but “radical jihadist sharia supremacism,” accusing him of not giving a “shit that we were attacked by Muslim terrorists on 9/11,” and saying he would be “cheering” on the attacks if they happened while he was mayor. 

If elected, Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor of New York City. He won the Democratic primary with an agenda promising a rent freeze, free buses, universal childcare, and other progressive policies. However, some in right-wing media have continued to focus on Mamdani’s religion and ethnicity as main lines of attack. 

Select a section

  • For months, right-wing media have lobbed anti-Muslim attacks against Mamdani, who could become New York City’s first Muslim mayor

    • Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim Democratic Socialist and member of the New York State Assembly, is the front-runner to win the New York City mayoral race. After winning the Democratic primary on a platform centered on progressive policy propositions including a rent freeze, free buses, and universal childcare, he currently has a polling lead over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. If elected, Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor of New York. [The Associated Press, 7/1/25; The Guardian, 7/14/25; CBS News, 10/20/25]
    • After Mamdani won the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City, right-wing media weaponized Islamophobic tropes to attack him, including accusing him of supporting terrorism. Right-wing media personalities have called Mamdani a “social justice suicide” bomber, suggested he supports “blowing up cafes, buses, concerts,” and advocated for him to be denaturalized and deported. [Media Matters, 7/3/25]

  • Right-wing media figures continue to attack Mamdani, saying his ideology is “radical jihadist sharia supremacism,” claiming he is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and framing his Muslim identity as a major issue for New York

    • Newsmax host Michael Savage: “I certainly don't have the proof, but the earmarks are there that this Mamdani is a front for the Muslim Brotherhood.” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 10/20/25] 
    • War Room host Steve Bannon described Mamdani's ideology as “Marxism with radical jihadist sharia supremacism.” He stated, “This kid’s not some fluke” adding, “It's not socialism — please get that out of your lexicon. It's Marxism with radical jihadist sharia supremacism.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 10/15/25]
    • Podcaster Megyn Kelly said, “I actually believe” that Mamdani “doesn't give a shit that we were attacked by Muslim terrorists on 9/11.” Kelly also claimed, “Islam is not consistent with our Western lifestyle or values, and I am not in favor of all these hard-Muslim representatives taking over as mayors of our cities.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 10/22/25]
    • Podcaster Laura Loomer referred to Mamdani as a “jihadist” and said that after 9/11, “the entire country was united in a hatred, or at least an animosity, toward Islam” and “it's shocking to see how far we've come.” She argued, “It seemed like the country was united in calling out the threat for what it was. It was Islamic terrorism. And, you know, if you would have asked New Yorkers 24 years ago — especially at least when Rudy Giuliani was mayor — if you asked them 24 years ago, do you think that New York City will ever have a Muslim mayor? The answer would have been hell no. The answer would have been absolutely not. Because the entire country was united in a hatred, or at least an animosity, toward Islam. So it's shocking to see how far we've come, to the point where now we have a jihadist who literally has not even been a United States citizen longer than eight years. He's from Uganda. He's literally an African migrant. He's now going to be the next mayor of New York City.” [Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 10/18/25]
    • Loomer said the reason Mamdani is “such a bad candidate” is “precisely because he is a Muslim,” calling him “anti-American” and “pro-terror.” She claimed, “The reason why Mamdami is such a bad candidate in the sense that he's bad for our country, and he's anti-American, and he's pro-terror, and his policies are going to absolutely destroy New York City, it's not because he's a socialist, it's not because he's a communist, it's because he is a Muslim. It's because he's a Muslim jihadist, and he's totally incompatible with our values here, not because he's a socialist, but precisely because he is a Muslim.” [Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 10/18/25]
    • Loomer claimed, “Mamdani wants legalized prostitution to make it easier for Muslim men to rape non-Muslim women on the streets of NYC.” [Twitter/X, 8/17/25]
    • Fox News host Will Cain said Zohran Mamdani is “hiding the ball a little bit on how he feels about Islam and its relationship to government.” [Fox News, The Will Cain Show, 10/21/25]
    • Podcaster Tim Pool said Mamdani could win New York and then ultimately become president, saying it feels “like biblical end of days-type stuff.” “He wins in New York, then he runs for the Senate, then he's geared up in the 2030s to be president, and then, you know,” Pool said. He added, “I wonder what's gonna happen. I mean, it does feel like biblical end of days-type stuff.” [YouTube, The Rosanne Barr Podcast, 10/10/25]
    • Right-wing influencer Ian Miles Cheong claimed that it “wouldn’t be particularly shocking” if Mamdani “is an affiliate” of the Muslim Brotherhood. He posted, “These are all Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated individuals that Zohran Mamdani is friends with. It wouldn’t be particularly shocking if he himself is an affiliate. Reminder that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization intent on destroying the West by Any Means Necessary.” [Twitter/X, 10/18/25]
    • Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg if he could imagine Mamdani as mayor during 9/11, and Rosenberg responded, “He’d be cheering.” Cuomo, who is running against Mamdani in the race, responded,“That’s another problem.” [WABC, Sid & Friends in the Morning, 10/23/25]

  • Right-wing media figures have also claimed Mamdani “hates Jews” and is a “proud” antisemite

    • While discussing Mamdani’s Jewish support, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade said, “It seems like anybody who had … the best interest of the Jewish community in mind would run from this guy as fast as they can.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 10/22/25]
    • On Mornings with Maria, radio host John Catsimatidis claimed Mamdani “hates Jews.” “Don't forget, he hates gays,” Catsimatidis continued. “He hates the Italians.” [Fox Business, Mornings with Maria, 10/21/25]
    • Fox News’ Kellyanne Conway claimed Mamdani is “an antisemite and he’s a proud one.” Conway added, “He wants to defund and disarm our police but not Hamas. He wants to arrest and impeach Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump but not Hamas." [Fox News America’s Newsroom, 10/16/25]
    • Fox host and radio host Mark Levin said of Mamdani, “You hate Jews. You hate gays.” He continued, “You hate capitalism. You hate America. You hate cops. Let's be honest.” [Westwood One, The Mark Levin Show, 10/6/25]