Zohran Mamdani

Andrea Austria / Media Matters

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After Mamdani won the NYC Democratic mayoral nomination, right-wing media resorted to predictable racist and Islamophobic attacks

Written by Gideon Taaffe, Chloe Simon & Torri Lonergan

Published

After Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim New York State Assembly member, won the Democratic nomination in the New York City mayoral race, right-wing media predictably resorted to racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic attacks against him. 

Right-wing host Mike Crispi called Mamdani a “pig” for eating with his hands, Newsmax host Greg Kelly attacked him over his clothes, saying he should assimilate, and Newsmax host Michael Savage labeled him a “jihadist sympathizer.” 

Right-wing media figures also attacked Mamdani for being Muslim, with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk claiming that Mamdani’s win means Islam gets the “last laugh” for 9/11 and right-wing podcaster Dave Rubin speculating that “of course he’ll be for Sharia law.” 

President Donald Trump has threatened to have Mamdani arrested or deported if he interferes with federal immigration enforcement, and Wayne Allyn Root wrote at The Gateway Pundit, “Say it with me, ‘DEPORT MAMDANI!”

Right-wing media’s racist commentary about Mamdani follows a long history of racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic attacks on Muslim and immigrant politicians including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). 

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  • Mamdani gained national attention after winning the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City

    • Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim democratic socialist and New York State Assembly member, secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor. His campaign centered on progressive policy propositions such as rent freezes, free public transportation, universal child care, and increased taxes on corporations and the ultra‑wealthy. [The Associated Press, 7/1/25; The New York Times, 6/28/25] 
    • President Donald Trump threatened to have Mamdani arrested or deported if he interferes with federal immigration enforcement. Trump, who referred to Mamdani as a “100% Communist Lunatic,” also falsely implied that Mamdani might not be in the country legally and warned of consequences if he blocks ICE raids. In a statement, Mamdani, who is a naturalized citizen born in Uganda, said, “We will not accept this intimidation.” [Forbes, 7/1/25; The Washington Post, 7/1/25] 

  • Right-wing media have used racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic tropes to denigrate Mamdani

    • Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk condemned Mamdani for eating rice “disgustingly”: “We in the West value cleanliness. We have utensils.” He also claimed, “People that have grown up in the Third World, they say he's not even doing it right. He's just faking it. He's doing this to signal his Third World cred. So think about it. To get credibility in the New York mayor's race, you have to pretend to be in the Third World.” [The Charlie Kirk Show, 7/1/25]
    • Right-wing talk show host and self-described “Islamophobe” Laura Loomer, who has previously eaten dog food on her show, attacked Mamdani for eating with his hands, saying, “It's so emblematic of how uncivilized, not just Zohran Mamdani is, but just how uncivilized Islam and third world immigration into our country is as a whole.” She also claimed that “a lot of animals are cleanlier" than Mamdani. [Laura Loomer Unleashed, 7/1/25; Twitter/X, 9/6/24; Media Matters, 4/4/24] 
    • Real America’s Voice host Mike Crispi wrote, “Look at how this pig Zohran eats with his hands. We don’t do this in America.” He continued, “Have some respect for our system, it’s literally why your rich parents moved you here. That includes using a FORK and acknowledging the greatness of CAPITALISM.” [Twitter/X, 6/29/25]
    • Newsmax host Greg Kelly claimed the style of Mamdani’s clothing “is not how we roll here” and said he should assimilate. Kelly argued, “There is something called assimilation, right? Kind of joining the culture. And there's a lot of room for individuality in our culture, but this is screaming, and he's actually kind of inviting, ‘Hey, say something about my clothes.’ Well, you got it, pal.” [Newsmax, Greg Kelly Reports, 6/30/25] 
    • PBD Podcast co-host Adam Sosnick said, “New York, you're about to have, potentially, a democratic socialist, progressive, jihadist mayor.” [Valuetainment, PBD Podcast, 6/24/25]
    • A week later, Sosnick said, “What do you get when you mix AOC and jihad? You get Zohran Mamdani.” Sosnick added, “I don't think New York City is going to go for this, and I think they're going to take care of this one way or another, if you know what I'm saying. The threat will be eliminated.” [Valuetainment, PBD Podcast, 7/1/25] 
    • Newsmax host Michael Savage claimed Mamdani’s nomination marks the first time we have seen a “socialist sympathizer of jihadism rise to prominence in an election in America.” He also referred to Mamdani as a “Marxist jihadist sympathizer.” [Newsmax, TheSavage Nation, 6/29/25]
    • Podcaster Dave Rubin said Mamdani is part of a “Muslim tradition where they’re allowed to lie to the infidel, basically, to attain power,” adding, “Of course he’ll be for Sharia law.” He continued, “This guy gets in as New York City mayor, do you think you’re going to hear more or less Muslim calls to prayers five times a day in New York City? It’s going to take over the entire city.” [YouTube, The Rubin Report, 6/30/25]

  • Right-wing media have invoked terrorism and 9/11 to attack Mamdani, who is Muslim

    • Charlie Kirk said Islam may get the “last laugh” for 9/11 if Mamdani wins the mayoral race. He continued, “Could you imagine New York City, the city that got attacked by Islam and Mohammadism then, now becomes conquered and ruled by Zohran Mamdani.” [The Charlie Kirk Show, 6/24/25]
    • Kirk also tweeted, “24 years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11. Now a Muslim Socialist is on pace to run New York City.” [Twitter/X, 6/24/25]
    • Podcaster Vincent Oshana claimed Mamdani “has Islamic, like, supremacist background” and said, “Imagine telling the families of 9/11, 24 years later, that this guy — this, like, jihadi-backed freaking Marxist … it looks like he’s going to get elected.” He added that Mamdani is a “Twelver Shia Muslim,” noting, “Same sect as Iran's ruling regime." [YouTube, PBD Podcast, 6/24/25]
    • Laura Loomer: “How did we get to this point where 24 years ago, we had the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attacks in New York City? And now 24 years later, they're about to elect a jihadist communist mayor.” [Loomer Unleashed, 7/1/25]
    • Fox’s Katie Pavlich claimed Mamdani has “pro-terrorism views” and suggested he believes in “blowing up cafes, buses, concerts.” While guest-hosting The Ingraham Angle, Pavlich said, “It’s really important to point out that Mamdani is saying that he wants to globalize the intifada, which means blowing up cafes, buses, concerts — and we’ve seen this violent movement occurring in New York City on campuses like Columbia, for example. And yet, this is something he endorses.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 7/2/25]
    • Fox News host Greg Gutfeld called Mamdani a “social justice suicide” bomber. Gutfeld: “I feel like the Democrat Party is on a kamikaze mission. … If the party's going to go down, we're going to take the whole ship with us. The remaining sane Democrats -- if there are any, Jessica -- you've got to weigh the cost of sticking with these social justice suicide bombers, because nobody wants this.” [Fox News, The Five, 6/17/25]

  • Right-wing media have questioned Mamdani’s citizenship and called for him to be denaturalized and deported

    • Mike Crispi claimed that “Mamdani should be deported and ineligible to run for New York City Mayor.” He posted: “Zohran Mamdani should be deported and ineligible to run for New York City Mayor. We have longstanding laws in this country preventing avowed foreign communists from resettling here. Zohran lied on his citizenship application when he came from Uganda 6 years ago. DEPORT!” [Twitter/X, 6/26/25]
    • Wayne Allyn Root wrote in The Gateway Pundit that Mamdani should  be “denaturalized” and deported. He wrote, “Say it with me, ‘DEPORT MAMDANI!’” adding, “Let’s send Zohran packing back to Uganda.” [The Gateway Pundit, 7/1/25]
    • The Article III Project’s Will Chamberlain: “Denaturalize and deport Zohran Mamdani.” In another post, Chamberlain wrote, “Can’t be mayor of NYC if you’re stuck in Uganda.” [Twitter/X, 6/24/25, 6/24/25]
    • Former Newsmax and One America News host Emerald Robinson called Mamdani a “foreign op” and wrote, “The Trump Admin should deport him.” Her post said, “Zohran Mamdani is an example of the Red-Green Axis. That means: Marxists & Islamists are allies in destroying America. It's also a foreign op. He was born in Uganda.” [Twitter/X, 6/25/25]

  • Right-wing media have long used racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic attacks against politicians of color

    • Journalist Joan Walsh wrote in 2010 that Fox News was hyping “one ‘scary black people’ and ‘Obama's a racist’ story after another.” She added: “Fox News has, sadly, become the purveyor of a 50-state 'Southern strategy,' the plan perfected by Richard Nixon to use race to scare Southern Democrats into becoming Republicans by insisting the other party wasn't merely trying to fight racism, but give blacks advantages over whites.” [Salon, 7/25/10]
    • The late right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh called Obama “Barack Hussein Ayatollah Obama,” frequently emphasizing his middle name with add-ons of “Imam” and “Ayatollah” despite his Christian faith. [Media Matters, 9/28/10, 9/29/10]
    • Right-wing media have repeatedly tried to associate Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) with terrorism. Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks in Israel, right-wing media called Tlaib, who is a Palestinian American born in the U.S., a “terrorist sympathizer” and “anti-American.” On Newsmax, Mercedes Schlapp said “they should deport Rashida Tlaib” due to her comments about Palestinians. [Media Matters, 10/13/23, 3/12/25]
    • Right-wing media have also repeatedly suggested that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) should be kicked out of the United States and called her a “Jew hater.” Omar, who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia, has been the subject of abuse from right-wing figures. Former Fox host Tucker Carlson claimed she “passionately hates the country,” Fox host Will Cain said she was a “parasite on our political system,” and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth claimed Omar is what “unchecked illegal immigration and massive waves of refugees look like without assimilation.” One right-wing pundit called for Omar to buy “a one-way ticket” to Somalia while others have used a mistranslated speech to suggest she should be deported to Somalia. [Media Matters, 6/17/25, 1/31/24, 5/7/20, 9/22/22, 5/4/21; House.gov, accessed 7/2/25]
    • Right-wing media have used Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) ethnicity as a way to attack her. Fox News has accused her of bringing “Latin American” values to the U.S., and Fox News' Jesse Watters and former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova mocked Ocasio-Cortez's accent. Watters said she “went full taco,” and diGenova said she “does the Latina thing” in pronouncing her name with an accent. [Media Matters, 4/12/19, 2/5/19, 10/20/22, 3/19/19]