NYC Mayor Mamdani Exposes Democratic Party’s Failures and Condemns Netanyahu’s Crimes in CNN Interview After Trump Meeting
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani denounced the Democratic Party for abandoning working people, called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal responsible for genocide, and justified meeting with President Donald Trump to demand media freedom and advocate for urgently needed housing.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a staunch advocate for the people, spoke with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to lay bare the Democratic Party’s betrayal of its base. Mamdani criticized party elites for drifting away from the struggles of ordinary people, highlighting the urgent need to address affordability and basic local issues like crumbling infrastructure. He insisted that only candidates who prioritize the cost-of-living crisis, as he did in his grassroots campaign, deserve the support of the working class.
Mamdani did not mince words regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he condemned as a war criminal and the mastermind behind the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. He recalled his previous vow to have the NYPD arrest Netanyahu if he set foot in New York, but acknowledged the limits imposed by the U.S. legal system, which shields powerful war criminals from international justice.
At Gracie Mansion, Mamdani confronted President Donald Trump, challenging his authoritarian ban on media outlets from the White House and standing firm in defense of a free press. He also pressed for the protection of vulnerable New Yorkers through the Temporary Protected Status program and demanded federal investment in transformative housing projects like Sunnyside Yard to address the city’s deepening housing crisis.
"To me, what democratic socialism is — it’s to transform democracy from an ideal or a value into something material," Mamdani declared, reaffirming his commitment to making democracy tangible in people’s daily lives.
The mayor pledged to engage with any official, regardless of party, who can help advance the interests of New Yorkers, while keeping his focus on rebuilding infrastructure and expanding public services for all.