New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani spent the weekend condemning “racist” and “baseless” attacks centered on his Muslim faith from his opponents and leaders of the Republican Party.
The back-and-forth has taken up much of the race’s oxygen in its final days. Early voting began Saturday, and Election Day is just over a week away.
“This is all the Republican Party has to offer,” Mamdani said in an interview with MSNBC Saturday night, responding to comments from Vice President JD Vance. “Cheap jokes about Islamophobia so as to not have to recognize what people are living through, attempts to pit peoples’ humanity against each other.”
“And to hear these words … knowing that, in fact, this is but a glimpse into reality for Muslims across the city each and every day,” he continued.
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If he wins, Mamdani stands to become New York City’s first Muslim mayor. He is running against Guardian Angels founder-turned-radio host Curtis Sliwa and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who recently earned the endorsement of Mayor Eric Adams.
Mamdani’s faith and his vocal support for Palestine have become central issues in the race as he maintains a sizable lead over both of his main opponents.
The dream of every Muslim is simply to be treated the same as any other New Yorker.
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) October 25, 2025
And yet, for too long, we have been told to ask for less than that, and endure hatred and bigotry in the shadows.
No more. pic.twitter.com/B7BWrifQ1f
On Thursday, Cuomo sat down with conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg and laughed when Rosenberg said Mamdani would celebrate another 9/11-style terrorist attack on New York City.
Cuomo said, “God forbid, another 9/11. Can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?”
“He’d be cheering,” Rosenberg responded.
Cuomo paused and laughed, adding, “That’s another problem.”
Mamdani quickly denounced the interview, speaking in an emotional address outside of a mosque on Friday. Afterwards, he posted a nearly seven-minute video on social media sharing a similar message that has been viewed more than 15 million times.
“I will not change who I am, how I eat or the faith that I am proud to call my own,” Mamdani said outside the mosque. “I want to speak to the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after Sept. 11 because she did not feel safe in a hijab … I want to speak to the Muslim who works for our city, whether they teach in our schools, or walk the beat for the NYPD.”
Vance criticized Mamdani Saturday night, taunting the mayoral front-runner for saying that his family felt unsafe after the 2001 terror attacks due to rampant Islamophobia.
“According to Zohran the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks,” Vance wrote on X.
According to Zohran the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks https://t.co/UGeKANSAH2
— JD Vance (@JDVance) October 25, 2025
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress continue to push for Mamdani’s deportation.
Since June, Rep. Andy Ogles has pushed for a Justice Department investigation into Mamdani’s citizenship, branding him as an “antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York.”
“In 2018, when he was naturalized, he failed to disclose some of the things that he had been doing, one of which was joining the [Democratic] Socialists of America,” Ogles told Newsmax at the time. “That’s a communist organization which, quite frankly, at that time, would have disqualified him from becoming a United States citizen.”
Last week, Florida Rep. Randy Fine posted on X, “Mamdani the Muslim terrorist cannot become Mayor of NYC.”
“The guy is literally spitting in our faces bragging about his friendship with his fellow Muslim terrorists. I can’t imagine how the families of the victims of 9/11 feel,” Fine’s post continued. “Mamdani needs to be denaturalized. And deported. Now.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to slash New York’s funding if Mamdani is elected. NOTUS reported last week that the state receives more than $7 billion in federal funds across at least 20 different agencies and departments.
Democrats across state and federal offices have joined in defending Mamdani from the “attacks, calling them racist” and offering their support for his candidacy. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Mamdani last week after months of holding out.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders will join Mamdani for a Sunday night campaign event, after more than 80,000 ballots were cast in the first day of early voting on Saturday.
“Zohran Mamdani is modeling a different kind of politics,” Sanders said in a statement ahead of the rally.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Eric Adams’ position as the current mayor.
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