Trump calls him "communist": Zohran Mamdani is favorite for New York City Hall

Zohran Mamdani is politically left-wing, was not born in the US, and has a good chance of becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York City. US President Donald Trump could hardly wish for a better enemy than the 34-year-old. Yet as different as the two are, they each address the concerns of many Americans in their own way. An election victory for the charismatic newcomer Mamdani in the East Coast metropolis on November 4 is likely to fuel a long-simmering debate among Democrats about how best to deal with Trump.

Mamdani was born in Uganda in 1991 to parents of Indian descent . His mother is a filmmaker, his father a renowned political science professor. When he was seven, the family moved to New York; in 2018, Mamdani became a US citizen. During his studies, he became politically active, and later worked with people in precarious housing situations. As an activist, he called for cuts to the New York Police Department, for which he recently publicly apologized. He has also released several rap songs under the stage names Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom.

In 2021, Mamdani was elected to the New York State Legislature for his Queens district. As a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, he belongs to the left wing of the Democrats. The young representative attracted some attention with a hunger strike to draw attention to the plight of New York City taxi drivers, who were facing existential hardship after a drastic decline in the value of their expensive licenses.

In the mayoral election, Mamdani was initially considered an outsider . But then his campaign gained momentum: In the Democratic primary, he defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo is now running as an independent candidate against Mamdani and the eccentric Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani is clearly ahead in the polls. Cuomo is his main rival, with Sliwa far behind.

Mamdani's central issue is the horrendous cost of living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. He promises rent control, free public transport, and free childcare. He wants to finance this through higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. To achieve this, he would need the support of the New York Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul. While the Democrat supports Mamdani's candidacy, she has so far rejected tax increases.

Mamdani accuses the "establishment" of serving the rich, which is somewhat reminiscent of Trump's narrative about the alleged "swamp" of a liberal elite in Washington. The US president also portrays himself as a fighter against a corrupt system, but the Republican's attacks are aimed more at political opponents than at structures.

Mamdani, on the other hand, condemns the influence of virtually unlimited campaign donations on US politics. He accuses both major parties of neglecting low- and average-income earners as a result. He finances his own campaign primarily through small donations.

His rise was facilitated by political circumstances: Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, withdrew from the race following corruption allegations. Cuomo is extremely unpopular as governor due to allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct during the coronavirus pandemic. This created a vacuum in the liberal Democratic stronghold of New York, which Mamdani filled.

In the metropolis, it's currently almost impossible not to encounter one of his tens of thousands of campaign workers at some point. The eloquent rising star is mobilizing primarily young people, those with a migration background, and union members.

Mamdani is omnipresent: He walks, jogs, or bikes through New York – and laughs a lot. He also deliberately engages in conversation with Trump voters. Many of them, Mamdani recently told the conservative network Fox News, voted for the Republican because life had simply become too expensive. He wants to counter this feeling with different political responses than Trump.

In addition to being civic-minded, Mamdani relies on pop culture, humor, and social media. His wedding photos on the New York subway went viral, as did an old music video from his time as Mr. Cardamom: In it, Mamdani raps a song for his grandmother in a halal food truck—shirtless beneath his apron. This resonates with politically engaged voters under 45. For other New Yorkers who follow politics from a distance or are weary of it, Mamdani is perhaps one thing above all else: the candidate who stands out the most.

Skeptics doubt whether the young, up-and-comer with little political experience can keep his ambitious promises while simultaneously managing the city's approximately $116 billion (around €100 billion) budget and hundreds of thousands of civil servants. With approximately 8.5 million residents, New York is the most populous city in the USA—and the country's financial center.

In conservative sections of New York's large Jewish community, his sharp criticism of the Israeli government is also met with rejection. Pro-Israel groups accuse Mamdani of bias and anti-Semitism. Some New Yorkers also find the idea of ​​a Muslim mayor difficult. His rivals, Cuomo and Sliwa, are aware of this – and are deliberately playing on Islamophobic sentiments.

Mamdani would become one of Trump's most prominent opponents. The US president calls him a "communist" and threatens to cut further federal funding for New York. He also seems to have a certain amount of respect for the smart young politician, albeit one he expresses rather reluctantly. On Fox News, he described him as "pretty smart."

Trump's Republicans have long since brought forces from the far right into their midst and, in addition to the White House, have secured majorities in both chambers of parliament. Mamdani's camp believes the Democrats can do the same. They see the leftist strategy as a promising blueprint for a party that has been paralyzed in shock since Trump's election victory and is seeking new momentum to recapture Congress in 2026. However, deep divisions exist between the party leadership and the left wing. And moderate Democrats doubt that Mamdani's recipe for success can hold sway beyond progressive New York.