Zohran Mamdani's victory at the New York City's mayoral primary election hasn't gone down well with US President Donald Trump.
Mamdani, who won 43.5 per cent of the votes with 90 per cent of the ballots counted, was referred to as a "100% communist lunatic" by the US President. Taking to Truth Social, Trump wrote, "It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor."
Calling him "not very smart", Trump went on to write in typical fashion and said, "We've had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he's not very smart, he's got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin' Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him. Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!"
'New leader of Democratic Party'
Soon after it became clear that Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker, was likely to prevail, Republican Vice President JD Vance sent congratulations on social media to the "new leader of the Democratic Party." The Republican's congressional campaign arm called him an "antisemitic socialist radical" and promised to tie him to every vulnerable Democrat in next year's midterm elections.
His history-making candidacy – Mamdani, born in Uganda to Indian parents, would be the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor – could also drive engagement among Asian and especially Muslim voters, some of whom soured on the party after the Biden administration's support for Israel's war in Gaza.
“These elections aren't about left, right or center, they're about whether you're a change to the status quo. People don't want more of the same, they want someone who plays a different game,” said Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson.
But Mamdani's criticism of Israel and his democratic socialism are also likely to show up frequently in Republican attack ads. Much of the Democratic establishment had lined up behind former New York Governor Cuomo, including former President Bill Clinton, partly out of unease over Mamdani's platform. Mamdani has repeatedly said he is not antisemitic.
"I think he's an easy target for Republicans who want to use scare tactics to talk about the Muslim mayor from New York City who's uber-left," said Patrick Egan, a political science professor at New York University. But Egan noted, Mamdani has also proven to be an adept politician.
"When people get exposed to this guy, they tend to like him," he said.
(With inputs from Reuters)