WASHINGTON: New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defended his democratic socialism and argued that his focus on economic issues should serve as a model for the party, even though some top Democrats have been reluctant to embrace him.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump branded him a “pure communist” in remarks that aired on Sunday, an epithet the progressive candidate dismissed as political theatrics.

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mamdani said his agenda of raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and on corporations to pay for ambitious policies such as free buses, a $30 minimum hourly wage and a rent freeze was not only realistic but tailored to meet the needs of the city’s working residents.

“It’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and yet one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty, and the rest are seemingly trapped in a state of anxiety,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker.

Mamdani’s stunning victory over former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday’s primary election has some party figures worried that his democratic socialism could feed Republican attacks on Democrats as too far left ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Business leaders have also expressed concern about his policies.

Democrats have struggled to find a coherent message after their resounding loss in the November elections that saw President Donald Trump return to the White House and his Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress. A Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month showed that a majority of American Democrats believed their party needs new leadership and to be more focused on economic issues.

Earlier on Sunday, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents part of the city, told ABC’s “This Week” that he wasn’t ready to endorse Mamdani yet, saying that he needed to hear more about Mamdani’s vision.

Other prominent New York Democrats, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have also thus far declined to endorse Mamdani.

Trump, himself a native New Yorker, told Fox News that if Mamdani wins the mayoral race, “he’d better do the right thing” or the White House would withhold federal funds from the city.

“He’s a communist. I think it’s very bad for New York,” Trump said. Asked about Trump’s claim that he is a communist, Mamdani told NBC it was not true and accused the president of attempting to distract from the fact that “I’m fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed.”

He also voiced no concern that Jeffries and other Democrats have not yet endorsed his candidacy.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2025