The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has dubbed New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as the “future of the Democratic Party,” in a post that reads both as an endorsement and a pointed political message amid a heated election season.
Musk made the remark while sharing a video of New York Governor Kathy Hochul endorsing Mamdani at a campaign rally in New York City.
In the clip, Governor Hochul urged supporters to vote for Mamdani to “take back America.”
She said, “This is about this November's election. But take that energy, that passion, and take it into 2026 so that we can take back the House of Representatives, take the Senate, and take back our country. With your help, we will. Elect Zohran and we take back America.”
The October 26 rally in New York City featured Hochul alongside progressives such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders.
Mamdani’s campaign has centered on housing affordability, rent control, and higher taxes for wealthy earners.
The Telegraph Online earlier reported that during Mamdani’s poll campaigning, he even posted a campaign video that was perfectly mixed with clips from megastar Amitabh Bachchan's popular Bollywood film Deewar.
Speaking of billionaires, he used Bachchan's famous dialogue “Aaj mere paas… kya hai tumhare paas? (Today I have... what do you have?)” to highlight the support he got from the “people.”
Elon Musk’s post sparked a flurry of reactions online, with social media users flooding the platform with memes.
The Democratic nominee faces Republican Curtis Sliwa and Independent Andrew Cuomo in the upcoming mayoral election, while incumbent Mayor Eric Adams has opted not to seek re-election.
The race has intensified in recent weeks following remarks by Mamdani that drew criticism from US Vice President J.D. Vance.
Speaking outside a Bronx mosque, Mamdani recalled the difficulties faced by Muslim New Yorkers after the 9/11 attacks, mentioning that his aunt “stopped taking the subway after September 11 because she did not feel safe in her hijab.”
“I was advised to keep my faith to myself when I entered politics,” Mamdani said. “These are lessons that so many Muslim New Yorkers have been taught. And over these last few days, these lessons have become the closing messages of Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, and Eric Adams.”
US Vice President JD Vance criticized New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s remarks on Islamophobia, and in a post on X said, “According to Zohran, the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks.”
Mamdani denounced the comment as “disgusting,”said that “fear-mongering, hate speech and Islamophobia are beneath New York.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised Mamdani and has vowed to cut federal funding to New York City if the assemblyman wins the election, calling him a “communist.”
In June, Trump said, “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.”
At a rally on Sunday, New York City comptroller and Mamdani ally Brad Lander said, “It’s not Donald Trump versus Zohran Mamdani, it’s Donald Trump versus New Yorkers.”
In July, Trump had threatened to have Mamdani arrested and questioned the legality of his citizenship.
Reacting to those comments, Mamdani said, “Trump’s statements don’t just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadow: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation.”
