Facing a pivotal decision that reflects a broader generational and ideological divide with national implications. As they choose the next mayor of the United States’ largest city, the race pits Democratic nominee Zohran Kwame Mamdani, who earlier this year, against independent candidate and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and perennial Republican contender Curtis Sliwa.
A win for Mamdani would mark a historic moment: he would become the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest leader in decades. At 34, Mamdani has already become a national figure, drawing criticism from President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
Unsurprisingly, about Mamdani has been circulating widely. In this , we look at the latest and most viral ones.
Will Mamdani legalize sex work?
Claim: Many people, including the current New York mayor and Democrat Eric Adams, have accused Mamdani of wanting to legalize or decriminalize sex work. Opponents have repeatedly raised the topic, warning that such policies could increase prostitution and sex trafficking in New York City.
DW Fact check: Misleading
Mamdani has often been vague about his position on sex work and has not always publicly emphasized his stance — sex work is also not singled out as a topic on his campaign platform. When asked, he confirmed to be in favour of decriminalizing sex work – but not in favour of legalizing it.
In an interview on NBC New York, he said: “I have never called for the legalization of prostitution. […] My policy is to actually take on sex trafficking, to have a zero tolerance for violence against women and to follow the advice of district attorneys that we have here in New York City […] having said that, prosecuting women for prostitution is something that actually leads to less safety.”
On Fox 5 NY, he added: “When we look at the findings of the World Health organization or the United Nations working group on the Safety of Girls and Women we find that decriminalization is one that actually provides the most safety for sex workers.”
It becomes clear that Mamdani differentiates between decriminalization and legalization. Decriminalization for him seems to mean the removal of criminal penalties for sex work between consenting adults, so no more arrests and prosecutions of sex workers and potentially their clients. Meanwhile, a full legalization and regulation of the industry would mean a much more profound change.
It is also important to emphasize that with his proposal, Mamdani does not seek to increase prostitution and sex trafficking, but the opposite, as he says.
His claims are backed by international organizations like the World Health Organization WHO and the United Nations (UN). A UN guidance paper from 2023 for example confirms that — while also describing that there are different forms and levels of decriminalization and legalization with different advantages and disadvantages.
The US civil rights organization ACLU has also reviewed empirical research on the impacts of decriminalization and criminalization in 2020 and confirmed that criminalization “increases the risk of violence and threatens the safety of sex workers” while decriminalization “can lead to greater access to health care and improves health”. However, the impact on trafficking remains unclear.
Is Zohran Mamdani a communist?
Claim: US President and conservative commentators have repeatedly labeled Mamdani a communist.
DW Fact check: False
Mamdani, however, identifies as a “democratic socialist” a distinction he has made clear in multiple interviews, for example on NBC News. Responding to Trump’s accusations on NBC News, Mamdani said: “He wants to distract from what I am fighting for,” which, according to him, is a better distribution of wealth.
Political scientists and experts agree that the “communist” label is inaccurate. Mamdani does not advocate for state control of all industries or the abolition of private property — core tenets of communism.
Stanford University professor Anna Grzymala-Busse told DW: “Mamdani is fundamentally committed to the democratic process, to listening to voters and competing in elections as a way of achieving power. He does not want to nationalize the economy. He wants to preserve democracy. He does not advocate for a single leading party. The core of communism, meanwhile, is single-party control of society and economy, with no opposition or pluralism.”
Grzymala-Busse also explained why the term “communist” is often used as a political weapon in the U.S.: “‘Communism’ is wielded as a weapon because during the Cold War, the Soviet Union was the enemy of the United States, and a whole rhetoric of good Americans vs. godless communists dominated. The Red Scare, the McCarthy hounding, the FBI investigations were all in the name of extirpating the enemy ideology. So it’s not surprising that it telegraphs ‘bad’ in the eyes of many people, and is an easy way to slander anyone who might advocate for redistributive policies.”
Mamdani’s “Zetro Card” is a government-controlled debit card
Claim: Some people claim on Social Media that Mamdani has launched “The Zetro Card — a ‘public banking’ debit card which lets the government manage your money. 10% of profits go straight to NGOs. So… a politician starts a bank, takes your data, and funds activists with your cash.”
DW Fact check: False
In reality, the Zetro Card is a campaign collectible for volunteers—not a financial product. It tracks canvassing efforts and rewards participation with campaign merchandise.
In an April video Mamdani explains: “Canvass eight times in the next eight weeks and win a limited-edition poster.” So this is nothing for the general public, but about collecting stamps for campaign merchandise.
A September video reiterated that the card is only available at campaign events and is not a debit card or linked to any financial system.
Edited by: Rachel Baig
The post Fact check: Mamdani, a communist and prostitution advocate? appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
