Rama Duwaji, New York’s first lady and the wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, was away from the city during the Fourth of July holiday as the country marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
According to a July 4 report from the New York Post, Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist who was raised in Texas and educated in Dubai, was seen at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday before taking an eight-hour flight to Palma, a city on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the western Mediterranean.
The trip drew attention because Mamdani remained in New York for the holiday and took part in Independence Day events, including the ceremonial lighting of the Empire State Building in red, white, and blue. Earlier in the week, he also delivered remarks that critics described as sharply critical of the United States and its immigration policies.
Duwaji reportedly traveled to Mallorca for an Islamic “spiritual wellness” retreat called “The Women’s Sanctuary.” The retreat, titled “Plants of the Quran,” was described by organizers as a program centered on sacred plants mentioned in Islamic texts, with art, botanical workshops and spiritual reflection. The Post reported that the event cost about $3,400 to attend and had sold out. Duwaji was listed as the retreat’s “artist in residence.”
She is also scheduled to help host another sold-out retreat for The Women’s Sanctuary in Corsica, France, from July 9 to July 14. That program, titled “Mary in the Quran,” focuses on Mary’s role in Islamic tradition.
The trip quickly became a target for critics of the Mamdani administration. Conservative commentator and comedian Arynne Wexler posted photos that appeared to show Duwaji at a United Airlines gate.
“Funny how when @ZohranKMamdani was telling New Yorkers to lower their AC his wife Rama Duwaji was boarding a flight to party in Mallorca,” Wexler wrote.
Wexler told the Post that the photos came from a friend who happened to be on the same flight. The newspaper said it could not determine how much Duwaji paid for the trip, though it reported that the cheapest round-trip ticket from Newark to Palma later in the month was around $900.
Some members of the City Council also criticized Duwaji’s absence during the holiday weekend.
“Nothing says ‘America 250’ quite like skipping the celebration for a Mediterranean vacation, but I am not surprised because she has made her hatred for America very evident,” Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola told the Post.
Staten Island Councilman Frank Morano also said he was disappointed.
“No one is saying elected officials and their families can’t take vacations,” Morano said, “but this was a moment to show up for the city and for the country, and she missed it.”
Duwaji has previously faced scrutiny over social media posts that were critical of the United States. The Washington Free Beacon reported in March that some since-deleted posts included praise for Palestinian terror groups and criticism of U.S. service members assisting Israel. The Post cited one 2015 Tumblr repost in which American soldiers were described as fighting “imperialist wars” rather than defending freedom.
Duwaji apologized in April for the anti-American posts. Mamdani has said his wife should not be treated as a public official or subjected to the same scrutiny as members of his administration because she does not hold a formal government position.
Mamdani himself has also drawn criticism in recent days. During a heat wave, he asked New Yorkers to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees, even as reports said some areas of City Hall were cooled to much lower temperatures. Critics accused him of asking residents to conserve energy while the city government failed to model the same standard.
Earlier in the week, Mamdani sat behind a desk associated with President George Washington and gave remarks criticizing U.S. immigration policy. He said some Americans view the country as belonging only to people with “the right accent” or “the right shade of skin,” while others are expected to feel grateful simply for being allowed in.
To his critics, the speech was yet another reminder that the man now helping lead at the local level seems awfully comfortable taking shots at the country that gave him the platform to do it. To his supporters, of course, it was simply a noble critique of “exclusionary politics” and definitely not an anti-America rant. Either way, Duwaji’s holiday-week trip handed his mayoral opponents exactly what they needed at the worst possible time for him.
