Mayor Adams called Zohran Mamdani a “communist” Wednesday, ratcheting up the rhetoric aimed at the Democratic mayoral frontrunner and echoing recent comments made by President Trump.
“Number one, he’s not a Democrat, he’s a communist,” Adams said from a Bronx press conference in response to a question about House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries not yet endorsing Mamdani despite meeting with him twice.
Mamdani is a democratic socialist, and Adams’ label mirrored President Trump’s frequent attacks on Mamdani — and other political opponents by branding them as communists. Trump has called Mamdani a “communist” and has said that he would turn New York City into “a communistic city.”
The Mamdani camp called out the mayor’s language.
“It speaks volumes that Eric Adams would rather recycle Cold War insults than deal with the exhausting list of corruption and crises consuming his City Hall,” Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Mamdani, responded.
“While he’s busy dodging indictments, delivering for his billionaire Trump donors, and holding a 30-year low approval rating, Zohran’s focused on the issues that matter: making the most expensive city in the world more affordable and restoring trust in government.”
Adams and Andrew Cuomo are both running on independent ballot lines and are cosnidered well to the right of Mamdani.
Cuomo also launched broadsides against Zohran Mamdani for his left-wing politics on Wednesday, slamming him as being “owned” by the Democratic Socialists of America, of which the candidate is a member
“Zohran is owned by the DSA,” Cuomo said to reporters.
