The first order of business in Fox News’s sit-down interview Wednesday with New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani: trying to goad the Muslim assemblyman into opining on the Middle East.
Rather than ask the mayoral frontrunner to explain his stances as they relate to the city he’s running to govern, host Martha MacCallum opted to grill Mamdani on a series of issues not related to Gracie Mansion whatsoever.
First, MacCallum wanted to know if Mamdani would give “credit” to Donald Trump for arranging a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, to which Mamdani responded it was “too early to do so.”
“But if it proves to be something that is lasting, something that is durable, then that’s where you give credit,” Mamdani said.
The next critical query: the mayoral candidate’s thoughts on Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack and the undelivered hostage remains.
“What is your response to what Hamas is doing now?” MacCallum asked.
“I think those are bodies and remains that should absolutely be returned,” Mamdani said. “And I have no issue with critiquing Hamas or the Israeli government, because my critiques all come from a place of universal human rights.”
Mamdani tried to squeeze details actually pertaining to New York City into this answer, acknowledging the city’s rampant affordability crisis. But MacCallum had no interest.
“Do you believe that Hamas should lay down their weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza?” she said, steamrolling past the detail.
“I believe that any future here in New York City is one that we have to make sure is affordable for all. And as it pertains to Israel and Palestine, that we have to ensure that there is peace, and that is the future we have to fight for,” Mamdani said.
“But you won’t say that Hamas should lay down their arms and give up leadership in Gaza?” MacCallum reiterated.
“I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety,” Mamdani laughed. “And that applies to Hamas, that applies to the Israeli military, it applies to anyone you could ask me about.”
Mamdani has taken the Big Apple by storm. After a tight Democratic primary (and stunning upset victory) this summer, the Ugandan-born New Yorker has gained citywide appeal. He is leading the mayoral race by double digits, garnering 46 percent support in the wake of Mayor Eric Adams’s withdrawal, according to a Quinnipiac poll published Thursday.
The 33-year-old has also caught the eye and ire of the White House. Trump has spent months openly browbeating Mamdani, accusing the local lawmaker of being in the country “illegally” while promising to arrest Mamdani if the mayoral hopeful follows through on defying ICE.
The president has also posed direct threats to the denizens of New York, claiming that he would leverage the power of the executive branch to choke funding from the country’s wealthiest metropolis unless it rejects Mamdani’s bid come election day next month.
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