NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani told “The View” on Wednesday that he was not a communist when pressed on President Donald Trump’s critiques of his left-wing ideology.
“Let’s quickly tick through all the things that Trump said about you. Number one, ‘He’s a communist.’ Are you?” co-host Joy Behar asked.
Mamdani, who identifies a democratic socialist, joined the co-hosts just days after incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced he was dropping out of the race.
“No, I’m a democratic socialist. I believe in dignity for all people,” he responded.
NEW POLL REVEALS MAMDANI STILL HOLDS COMMANDING DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD OVER RIVALS IN NYC MAYORAL RACE
“The View” co-host Joy Behar asked NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani if he was a communist during the show on Oct. 1, 2025. (ABC/TheView)
Behar noted, “it means more than that.”
“A lot of New Yorkers have asked me, ‘What does it mean that you’re a democratic socialist?’ And I tell them to think of the words of Dr. King from decades ago. He said, call it democracy or democratic socialism. There has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children in this country. And that’s the heart of it,” Mamdani said.
Behar then asked why Trump was rooting for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is also running for mayor.
Mamdani said Cuomo would “clear the field” for Trump’s agenda.
“When he looked at the deployment of the National Guard in California, he told New Yorkers, ‘Don’t overreact.’ This is a moment where we have to address the administration for what it is, which is authoritarian. It’s going to require us to do everything in our power to fight back, not to coordinate like Andrew Cuomo has done being on the phone with Donald Trump or collaborate like Eric Adams has done by welcoming ICE into the city,” he said.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI LAUNCHES ANTI-TRUMP TOUR ACROSS FIVE BOROUGHS IN NEW YORK CITY
New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference at the 1199SEIU headquarters on August 11, 2025, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin pressed Mamdani on why top New York Democrats, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have been hesitant to endorse him.
He told the co-hosts he couldn’t speak to their interests.
“What I can tell you, however, is that what we have built in this city is also an indication of what politics can be. Oftentimes, after the November general election, we heard that young people were leaving the Democratic Party. They were getting disinterested in politics, and we built a campaign where we said, what if we treated them with respect and not condescension? And asked them what they needed for the city,” Mamdani said.
“We made the top three highest performing age groups, all under the age of 35. That’s something that we haven’t seen in this city before. That needs to be at the heart of our politics across the country,” he added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Democratic socialist candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during “The View” on October 1, 2025. (ABC/TheView)
Griffin previously said during a June discussion on the ABC News talk show that Mamdani made her nervous.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I’m very nervous about this potential new mayor here, because this city does have real problems and you need somebody with experience. He’s had no real job that makes him ready to run one of the biggest economies in New York City. And it makes me nervous,” she said.
