Political commentator Dave Rubin warned his fellow Jewish Americans on Friday that they should flee New York City if Zohran Mamdani becomes the new mayor in November.
Mamdani, a Ugandan-born Muslim New York State Assemblyman from Queens, won the race to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York City mayor, but Republicans and even some Democrats have blasted the democratic socialist as too extreme.
He has also been criticized for his stance on Israel and refusing to condemn the phrase “Globalize the intifada,” concerning many Jewish New Yorkers amid rising antisemitism.
“This guy is an absolute radical,” Rubin said about Mamdani. “He said that if Bibi Netanyahu showed up in New York City he would arrest him… He’s still chanting ‘From to the river to the sea,’ all of this stuff.”
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Mamdani immigrated to the United States when he was seven years old from South Africa and became a naturalized citizen in 2018 after he graduated from college.
When asked on a podcast in mid-June about phrases like “From the river to the sea” and “Globalize the intifada,” Mamdani responded, “I know people for whom those things mean very different things, and to me, ultimately, what I hear in so many, is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”
The clip went viral, as Jewish advocacy groups and influencers slammed Mamdani for what they say is a refusal to condemn the phrase “Globalize the intifada,” a rallying cry that has been used by anti-Israel protesters against the war in Gaza.
Many Democratic Party figures have called on Mamdani to denounce the phrase in recent days, including Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Sunday, “‘Globalizing the intifada,’ by way of example, is not an acceptable phrase. He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward.”
He continued, “With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”
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Rubin warned that Mandani’s New York could be yet another place Jewish people have to flee from for their safety.
“I’ve said it on my show for weeks with this guy, if he wins in the fall, if you are Jewish, you leave New York City, period. And the Jews have an awful lot to do with a thriving New York City for over a hundred years. But you get the Hell out,” Rubin warned. “Unfortunately, that’s a bit of the story of the Jews, but you get out. There will be pogroms.”
“Already right now in New York City, they don’t have functioning police,” Rubin added. “Well, wait till this guy gets in charge where he’s already calling for defunding the police, and all of the rest of it.”
He argued that citizens’ ability to defend themselves may be compromised as well, pointing to a tweet from Mamdani saying, “We need to ban all guns.”
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“I mean, regardless of what your feelings are on guns or the difference between, you know, a semi-automatic and a handheld or whatever, ‘ban all guns,’ I mean, no, that’s a constitutionally guaranteed right,” Rubin added. “So he is a radical of radicals.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment and did not receive an immediate reply.
