You know the political climate is completely upside down when a frontrunner for New York City mayor can’t bring himself to say—on national television—that a terrorist organization should put down its weapons.
Welcome to the Zohran Mamdani era. Buckle up.
On Wednesday night, Democratic socialist and current NYC mayoral frontrunner Mamdani appeared on Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum. The question on the table was simple, direct, and—frankly—should’ve been a layup for any serious public official:
“Should Hamas disarm and step down from leadership in Gaza?”
Twice, MacCallum asked. Twice, Mamdani dodged.
Instead of answering, he launched into a meandering, buzzword-laden speech about affordability in New York City and “justice and safety” in the Middle East. Which is politician-speak for, “I’m going to stall until the commercial break.”
You’d think condemning a group responsible for kidnapping civilians, launching rockets at population centers, and committing acts that both U.S. parties have classified as terrorism would be an easy moment to show leadership. But Mamdani, apparently, doesn’t want to offend the wrong crowd.
Or maybe he just doesn’t want to admit publicly what his critics already suspect: that his sympathies lie less with national security and more with anti-Israel activism disguised as “justice.”
Let’s be clear here. This isn’t some fringe candidate polling at 3%. Mamdani is leading the Democratic primary for mayor of the largest city in the United States—with 46% of likely voters behind him. And yet, when asked to say that Hamas—a group that murdered, raped, and kidnapped innocent civilians on October 7—isn’t a legitimate government, he waffles.
Even when President Trump—who brokered the very peace deal Mamdani’s party can’t seem to wrap its head around—warned Hamas in no uncertain terms that if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them, Mamdani’s response was basically, “No comment.”
Actually, it was worse than that. It was, “I don’t have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel.”
Zohran Mamdani refuses to agree that Hamas terrorists should lay down their arms
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 15, 2025
Let that sink in.
The Democratic front-runner to run New York City, home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, claims he doesn’t have a position on whether a U.S.-designated terrorist group should give up its control of Gaza.
This is the same Mamdani who wouldn’t condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada”—a phrase widely interpreted as a call for global violence against Jews. And on the second anniversary of the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust? He took the opportunity not to mourn the victims, but to accuse Israel of launching a “genocidal war.”
You almost have to admire the consistency. Almost.
Now, look—we get that New York politics are complicated. We get that the city leans Left. But when a candidate can’t even bring himself to say that a terrorist group should disarm, that’s not progressivism. That’s cowardice wrapped in activist language.
‘He’s had a lot of opinions about Hamas… until now.’
NYC socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani refuses to call on Hamas to disarm. | @KatiePavlich pic.twitter.com/TZiVWlnjSA
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) October 16, 2025
And here’s the kicker: while Mamdani flirts with anti-Israel talking points and avoids condemning terrorists, he’s ahead of former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in the polls.
Cuomo’s comeback bid is stuck at 33%, and Sliwa—known more for his red beret than for, well, winning elections—is pulling just 15%.
So now the question is staring New Yorkers in the face:
Are we really about to hand the keys to the city to a guy who thinks calling for Hamas to disarm is a step too far?
