Potshots fail to critique Mamdani’s performance
Manhattan: There’s a new disease making the rounds in NYC: Mamdani Derangement Syndrome, aka MDS. The disease afflicts individuals as well as corporate entities. The Daily News, apparently infected months ago, provides a warm, welcome medium for the disease to spread. You gave a severely infected Francisco Marte a half-page to spread the disease (“Zohran is mayor, not secretary of state,” op-ed, Jan. 15). Marte is obviously suffering greatly because Mayor Mamdani, who has a direct line to President Trump on his phone, texted Trump to voice his opposition to the U.S. invasion of Venezuela — something the average citizen can’t do.
In the two minutes or so it took the mayor to send Trump a text, the MDS-addled Marte believes Mamdani ignored and presumably will continue to ignore the needs of NYC citizens. This insidious disease wipes away the citizenship of Mamdani and demands that he not take advantage of what any other citizen has a right to do. I wonder if any Daily News reader with a direct line to Trump to voice anything their heart may desire would not take the opportunity because two minutes of texting might be interpreted by twisted individuals as a betrayal of some other responsibility.
Further evidence of Marte’s MDS is his conclusion that despite Mamdani’s and Trump’s public statement that they wish to forge a good working relationship, Mamdani should not take advantage of this rare access to the president. Finally, as Marte’s disease ravages on, he sums up his rant by admitting that he has no idea what Mamdani hoped to gain from his text, but says Mamdani is mayor and shouldn’t do anything else. Steven Davies
Ill-advised appearance
Whitestone: Mamdani is calling for abolishing ICE, and he did it while he was interviewed on “The View.” Is going on that show the best way to spend his time? I think he needs to stay in City Hall and figure out how he’s gonna run the city and make us prosper again. We’re sitting on a $12 billion budget deficit and this clown is being interviewed on “The View.” When you are young and inexperienced, I guess that’s what you do. “The View” should’ve been removed from the air a long time ago. Gene O’Brien
Worthless ambition
Toronto: Greenland is just another vanity project for the megalomaniac and narcissist Trump. He claims that the U.S. needs to own Greenland for U.S. and world security as a measure against Chinese and Russian aggression. In the unlikely event that either China or Russia were to move against Greenland, Denmark and all the NATO countries, including most of the EU and Canada, in addition to the U.S., which already has a military installation on Greenland, would rush to Greenland’s aid under NATO’s Article 5 provision. For the sake of world peace and security, let’s hope that all NATO countries stand up to the bully. Make America Go Away. What happened to publishing those Epstein files, anyway? Peter Earle
Send the Trumps
Greenburgh, N.Y.: If the United States attacks Greenland, I propose that the coward in chief and his family should lead the invasion by parachuting onto the island. Of course, the twice-impeached, 34-time convicted felon would require a heavy-duty, reinforced parachute and a pair of boots with extra padding so as not to hurt his bone spurs upon his landing. If you find this amusing, keep in mind that no one is laughing harder at us right now than Vladimir Putin! Steve Howe
It’s in the name
Howard Beach: It’s called the Nobel PEACE Prize, you idiot. George Martin
Bought out?
Leicester, Vt.: I see that the U.S. Supreme Court building’s facade is wrapped in plastic for repairs/renovation. When the covering is removed, will the golden letters read “Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court”? Robert Cappio
Outsized outrage
Flushing: The population of Minneapolis is about 430,000. What we see on TV is about 250 troublemakers. Some of them are probably not from Minneapolis at all but are paid professionals. All of this is good for the TV stations, as it looks like the whole city is in revolt, but the illusion is not necessarily true. I believe that the media is feeding us a lot of nonsense for the sake of their TV ratings and Trump derangement. John Procida
Lost liberty
Manhattan: Today’s America reminds me of my visit to Russia many years ago. We carried our visas at all times. Police randomly checked papers, and we were warned that they could detain anyone for any reason. How lucky we are to live in America, we thought, where we have rights, the rule of law and the freedom to go outside with empty pockets. But now ICE and Border Patrol have stolen our freedoms. They don’t obey laws American police follow. Instead of badges and warrants, they arrive masked, guns drawn and without even a façade of due process. These immigration agents have detained plenty of citizens. ICE and CBP are making us all less safe. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security runs out Jan. 30. Congress must refuse to let pass any DHS appropriations bill that increases its funding and fails to include measures to prevent its abuses of power. Amanda Schneider
Open celebration
Manhattan: Senegal’s soccer team defeated Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 final. Hundreds of Senegalese gathered for a public viewing in the area historically called Little Senegal in Harlem, then spilled into the streets waving flags, singing and dancing in an informal parade late into the night. While many Senegalese immigrants are living under constant fear due to current anti-immigration policy in America, that night was filled with pure joy. Arisa Haboshi
Imperial ideology
Bronx: Voicer Andrew Ross claims I don’t want Zionists to be “proud of their religion.” As far as I’m concerned, they can be proud of their religion 365 days a year, but being proud does not include engaging in imperialism and genocide. You have to draw the line somewhere, and it might as well be on those points. Then Ross dances the line between Zionism and Judaism. I never went there, but Ross did. Zionists are imperialists, and many Jews are not. This is called nuance, something Zionists lack. Ross praises the concept of “a majority state.” But Arab Palestinians were the majority in that region until Zionists, with the help of America, brutally kicked them out, which is similar to what Trump is trying to do now as he tries to initiate a white nationalist country here in the U.S. Nick Smith
Proudly opposed
Manhattan: Voicer Andrew Ross is wrong in a crucial and very important way. In the sense that has been relevant to world politics and controversy for the past 80 years, Zionism refers solely to the desire to have the area now referred to as Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people. It does not refer to being “proud of your religion.” There are many Jews who are proud of their religion but who do not support the Zionist cause. There are many people who love and respect Jews who do not believe in the Zionist movement. Anthony Richards
Triple digits
Middle Village: On another note, let’s raise a glass to Ray Anthony from the Glenn Miller Band, who just turned 104 years young. May God bless him! Robert Chirieleison
Scrappy without success
Malverne, L.I.: Of the three NFL teams in N.Y. and N.J., the team that has consistently made the playoffs since 2017 is the Buffalo Bills, successful when compared to the other two teams. However, teasing us year after year that this is the year they’ll break through to the Super Bowl has gotten frustrating. They lost the turnover battle 5-1 in Denver. Despite this, they took the lead, had an opportunity to score a touchdown, settled for a field goal, lost the lead, tied the game with a clutch 50-yard field goal to force overtime, won the coin toss, elected to kickoff, held the Broncos, then a few referee calls later we lost — a heartbreaker. What has to change? Frustrated in downstate, but still rooting for the underdogs from gritty Buffalo. Kosmas Patikoglou
