New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sat down with Fox News host Shannon Bream on Sunday to discuss the midterm elections and “blue wave” that hit the U.S. last week, but when the topic turned to his own socialist views, Bream was taken aback.
Socialism and DSA candidates were used by Republicans as a wedge issue leading up to the election, warning voters of the dangers of electing individuals with such views to office. Clearly, the tactic didn’t work, and when pressed on how he feels about some specific topics, Mamdani’s answers surprised Bream.
The exchange went like this:
Bream: Get rid of borders?
Mamdani: No
Bream: Get rid of SCOTUS?
Mamdani: No
Bream: Get rid of jails?
Mamdani: No
Bream: Do you think DSA is gonna kick you out?
Mamdani: No
Bream countered, “It sounds like you’re not aligned with some of the core things they want to get done?” and Mamdani had a response at the ready.
“You know, when you go into a room and there is more than one socialist in the room, you will often find disagreement in that room. And what unites members of the Democratic Socialists of America is in many ways what has brought people into politics over the years, a belief in the dignity of working class people and the dignity that has to be a characteristic of their lives. And understanding that democracy, for it to be meaningful, can’t just be at the ballot box. It has to be in the rest of our lives, from the workplace to every other aspect of it, and that’s why I’m excited to be a member and that’s why I’ve been excited to deliver for New Yorkers.”
Earlier in the segment, Mamdani was pressed about perceived extreme views of the DSA party, and he explained why the midterm election results show why he rejects some of those views.
“The thing that has been offered as a part of a litany of policy platforms that I would reject is: after [the election] why would we abolish the Senate?” he asked. “I think what we’re seeing is that Americans across this country are facing a cost of living crisis and [the election] results show us that Americans are tired of waiting. They are tired of being told that their needs are unrealistic by the very politicians that have been bought by the wealthiest people in the country.”
Mamdani pointed to the varied Democratic candidates who won the midterms, running on issues that matter to working class Americans.
“What we saw are candidates across the country, no matter how they described themselves, running on policies that would transform working peoples’ lives. James Talarico ran on universal pre-K, Annie Andrews ran on ending endless wars, Keisha Lance Bottoms ran on streamlining production of affordable housing, Jocelyn Benson ran on a data center moratorium. These are the kinds of things that also characterize what we’ve been doing here in New York City, and yes I’m proud to be doing so as a mayor who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.”
Leave a Reply