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New York Post
18 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC mayoral wannabe Mamdani keeps struggling to defend ‘globalize the intifada' rallying cry — as even cross-endorser Lander piles on
Mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani on Thursday continued to stumble defending the 'globalize the intifada' rallying cry – as even fellow Democratic candidate Brad Lander, who cross-endorsed him, joined a pileup of criticism. The usually smooth-talking Mamdani devolved into word salad as he maintained the phrase is not an incitement to violence against Jews. 'These words have different meanings for many different people, and my point is rather to say that each and every New Yorker deserves that safety and that my focus is going to be on making this an affordable city,' Mamdani said at a news conference. 'I've been clear that any incitement of violence is something that I'm in opposition to.' 3 Zohran Mamdani keeps struggling to defend his refusal to denounce the rallying cry, 'Globalize the infitada.' Bloomberg via Getty Images The Democratic socialist's awkward response came after he not only refused to denounce the anti-Israel cry but argued he viewed it as a call to stand up for Palestinian human rights. He also tried to downplay the term by noting the US Holocaust Memorial Museum used the Arabic word 'intifada' to describe the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Polish Jews against the Nazis. The museum slapped down Mamdani's argument — as did his critics, who view the Queens state assemblyman as, at best, being blind to antisemitism. Thursday's backlash included Lander, the lefty city comptroller who last week vowed to rank Mamdani second on his ranked-choice city ballot — a pledge his friendly rival returned. The pair's cross-endorsement could carry weight in the ranked-choice voting primary, where voters pick up to five candidates in order of preference. Even if a voter's first choice is eliminated in successive rounds of ranked-choice calculations, their other picks – from second on down – could still be in the mix and emerge as the eventual overall winner with more than 50% of the vote. 3 Mayoral contender Brad Lander criticized Mamdani's remarks but still ranked him second in the primary. Michael Nagle Lander told the 'Pod Save America' podcast Tuesday that the phrase 'globalize the intifada' carries violent associations for Jews such as himself, especially after the recent assassination of two Israeli Embassy staffers and a Molotov cocktail-hurling wacko's attack in Colorado. 'Maybe you don't mean to say it's open season on Jews everywhere in the world, but that's what I hear,' Lander said of those who use the term. 'And I'd like to hear that from other people as well,' he said of his comments, implicitly knocking Mamdani. But Lander still insisted during the podcast that he doesn't believe Mamdani is antisemitic — and noted his own problems with Israel's war in Gaza and treatment of Palestinians. He repeated his measured criticism Thursday of Mamdani's defense of 'globalize the intifada' and overall support of his rival's character as he voted early in the primary. 'I believe that Zohran Mamdani is a person of decency and integrity, and I am therefore encouraging people to rank him number two,' Lander said. 'We do not agree on everything about Israel and Palestine, but I do believe that he will protect Jewish New Yorkers and our rights, and I was proud to rank him myself.' 3 Mamdani has said he rejects any incitement to violence. Bloomberg via Getty Images Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has seen his polling lead in the mayoral primary chipped away by Mamdani, didn't miss the chance to lambast his opponent after a brief speech at a Bronx Juneteenth celebration. Cuomo twice mispronounced Mamdani's name — as he did during a recent debate, drawing an emphatic correction from his rival — while he accused him of 'inciting violence against the Jewish community worldwide. 'He is divisive across the board,' Cuomo said. Lander, during his podcast interview, argued it was Cuomo — not Mamdani — who failed to try to unite New Yorkers during that debate. 'I do not agree with him on Israel and Palestine on every issue, and that's appropriate,' Lander said of Mamdani, before adding, 'Cuomo did not try one iota to speak to Muslim New Yorkers or signal that he will bring people together.' Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor of New York City, if elected. — Additional reporting by Carl Campanile and Craig McCarthy
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani slapped down by Holocaust Museum for trying to ‘sanitize' anti-Israel rally cry
Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani refused to condemn the anti-Israel 'globalize the intifada' rallying cry Tuesday — drawing a backlash and a backhanded slapdown from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The hot-button phrase has been denounced for allegedly stoking antisemitic violence, but Mamdani argued during an interview with The Bulwark podcast that it instead should be seen as a call to stand up for Palestinian human rights. He further tried to downplay its hateful associations by contending the museum used it to describe the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Polish Jews against the Nazis. Advertisement 6 Zohran Mamdani refused to condemn the 'globalize the intifada' rallying cry on The Bulwark podcast. The Bulwark Podcast 'I think what's difficult also is that the very word has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it's a word that means struggle,' Mamdani said. But Mamdani's hand-waving assertion only inflamed critics, including fellow mayoral contender Andrew Cuomo and several Jewish leaders, who view the Queens state Assemblyman as harboring dangerously antisemitic views. Advertisement It also inspired a pointed subtweet from the museum itself, which noted it stemmed from 1987's violent First Intifada by Palestinians against Israel. 'Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize 'globalize the intifada' is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors,' the museum tweeted. 'Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.' 6 Mamdani contended the US Memorial Holocaust Museum described the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as an 'intifada' in Arabic. Getty Images Advertisement While the subtweet didn't mention Mamdani, a US Holocaust Memorial Museum spokesman confirmed it was referring to the liberal Democrat. 'Any claim that 'globalize the intifada' is not antisemitic or calling for violence against Jews is false and must be denounced,' museum spokesman Andy Hollinger said in a statement. The intifada kerfuffle is the latest controversy that Mamdani has faced over his vocal anti-Israel stance — and comes a week before the June 24 primary, in which he is vying to become mayor of the nation's largest Jewish city. 6 A Holocaust Memorial Museum spokesman said the tweet was directed at Mamdani. Universal Images Group via Getty Images Advertisement Mamdani's support of the boycott, divest and sanctions movement, reluctance to say Israel has a right to exist as a 'Jewish state' and refusal to sign resolutions recognizing Israel and the Holocaust have overshadowed his emphatic rejection of antisemitism and espousal of nonviolence. Cuomo, the frontrunner in the mayoral race, quickly seized on the chance to pile onto the upstart candidate. The former governor, who has made fighting antisemitism a plank of his would-be political comeback, called Mamdani's words 'dangerous.' 'There is nothing complicated about what this means,' Cuomo said in a statement. 'I call on all candidates running for mayor to join together to denounce Mr. Mamdani's comments because hate has no place in New York.' 6 Mamdani is a vocal critic of Israel. Instagram/@zohrankmamdani 6 Mamdani repeatedly has espoused nonviolence. Instagram/@zohrankmamdani Cuomo has wracked up endorsements from nearly every major ultra-Orthodox Jewish and Hasidic voting organization. Advertisement Rabbi Marc Schneier called on Mamdani to apologize for equating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising with 'intifada.' 'His language is a direct insult to survivors and the hundreds of thousands of Jewish New Yorkers who are the relatives of loved ones lost in the Shoah,' Schneier said in a statement. 'His moral laryngitis in the face of Iranian attacks on Israeli civilians further exposes his indifference to Jewish suffering and disqualifies him from any leadership role in this city.' Outspoken pro-Israel Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx) argued the rallying cry has ignited a recent antisemitic wave of violence in the US, from the firebombing of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's mansion to the assassination of two Israeli Embassy staffers and a Molotov cocktail-hurling nutjob's attack in Colorado. 'To compare the instigators of antisemitic violence to Jews seeking liberation from Nazi death camps—as Zohran Mamdani has done—is not only disgraceful,' Torres tweeted. 'It is disqualifying.' Advertisement 6 The Queens state Assemblyman refused to sign resolutions recognizing Israel and the Holocaust. Beyond the debate over 'globalize the intifada' is antisemitic, Mamdani does appear correct that the word was used in a Holocaust Museum exhibit about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The museum's website reportedly used the word to describe the Jewish uprising against the Nazis until mid-2024, when it was changed to 'muqawama,' meaning resistance, according to a Business Insider reporter. Mamdani emotionally responded to the backlash Wednesday, contending as a Muslim he has been the target of hate and threats on his life. Advertisement He said the function of racism is 'distraction.' 'Antisemitism is such a real issue in this city,' he said. 'It has been hard to see it weaponized by candidates who do not seem to have any sincere interest in tackling it, but rather as a pretext to make political points.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump picks reality show star whose stepson was charged over Jan 6 riot for Holocaust Museum council
President Donald Trump has appointed a Real Housewives of New Jersey star to serve on the board of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Sigalit Flicker, 57, was appointed by Trump on Monday along with four other new members to replace President Joe Biden's picks who were axed last month, marking the first time a sitting president has eliminated board appointees ahead of their term's completion. Doug Emhoff, former Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, was one of the booted council members. Trump made eight other appointments last week. Flicker, an Israeli-American matchmaker, podcaster and television personality, previously starred in the seventh and eighth seasons of the Bravo TV show and also appeared in the VH1 series Why Am I Still Single?! In an Instagram post, she wrote of the appointment: 'Thank you for the privilege & honor to represent and never forget.' Flicker and the new appointees are supporters of the president and will serve five-year terms. Her stepson, Tyler Campanella, was arrested in April 2024 and charged with five misdemeanors for his alleged role in the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. Trump supporters Siggy Flicker, left, and far-right activist Laura Loomer, listen as Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally at Coastal Carolina University on February 10, 2024 in Conway, South Carolina (Getty Images) FBI referenced one of Flicker's Instagram posts in an indictment against her stepson in which she wrote: 'I love patriots so much. Stay safe Tyler. We love you.' She added #StopTheSteal at the end of the post. The photo was of Campanella inside the Capitol. The Independent has contacted Flicker for comment. Campanella was charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and demonstrating in a restricted building. Trump administration officials dismissed his case shortly after the president's term began and he pardoned January 6 supporters who had been convicted for their role in the attack. Trump's other appointees include Frederick Marcus, Alex Witkoff, Rabbi Pinchos Lipshutz, Ariel Simon Abergel, Sidney Ferris Rosenberg, Barbara Feingold, Betty Pantirer Schwartz, Robert David Garson, Sigalit Flicker, Lee Marc Lipton, Nate Segal and Jackie Schutz Zeckman. Rosenberg, known as Sid Rosenberg, is the host of the Sid & Friends In The Morning, a WABC show. In a statement posted to Instagram last week, he said: 'To have the greatest president in the history of our country appoint me to such an important post is beyond affords me the opportunity to keep fighting for the Jewish people.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kamala Harris to step back into spotlight to give sharp critique of Trump
Kamala Harris will step back into the political spotlight on Wednesday night to deliver a sharp critique of Donald Trump, warning that his presidency has put the US at risk of a constitutional crisis. The former vice-president has mostly kept a low profile since leaving the White House in January following her bitter defeat to Trump. Now, a day after Trump celebrated 100 days in office with a rally in Michigan, she is expected to deliver a forceful renunciation of the president's stunning power grabs that have prompted warnings of creeping authoritarianism. Related: Trump officials contacted El Salvador president about Kilmar Ábrego García, sources say In her remarks, Harris, 60, will warn of a looming constitutional crisis and urge Americans to collectively join the fight to protect rights and freedoms under threat by a president seeking unchecked powers, according to a person familiar with the content of her speech. She is expected to commend leaders whose dissent has galvanized the public, including Democratic senators Cory Booker, who delivered a record-breaking 25-hour speech to show resistance to Trump, and Chris Van Hollen, who secured a visit with a man wrongly deported to El Salvador by the administration. She is also expected to emphasize that the chaos of Trump's return to power is by design, laid out in the conservative policy blueprint Project 2025. During the campaign, Trump sought to distance himself from the unpopular initiative but his actions as president follow the plan closely – from his chainsaw approach to downsizing the federal government, to his war on diversity, equity and inclusion policies and 'gender ideology'. On Tuesday, the Trump administration fired Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff other senior Biden White House officials from the board that oversees the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Earlier this month, the law firm where Emhoff works reached a deal with the White House to avert an executive order targeting its practice. Emhoff was said to have advised against the agreement, and Harris in remarks days later, seemed to obliquely address the situation, warning that 'we are seeing those that are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats'. The remarks come as Harris is weighing her next move. The former state attorney general and US senator from California is expected to decide by the end of summer whether to join the crowded field of Democrats vying to succeed California's term-limited governor, Gavin Newsom. A successful campaign to lead the country's largest blue state would give her a prominent platform from which to challenge Trump and his attacks on Democratic states. Or she could choose to mount another presidential campaign in 2028. The former vice-president has continued fundraising through the Harris Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee her presidential campaign set up with the Democratic National Committee and state Democratic parties. As Democrats search for a leader – and a path forward – after their devastating losses in November, many supporters have been eager to hear from Harris. In intermittent remarks since January, Harris has encouraged Americans to prioritize their wellbeing while staying engaged in the fight to safeguard the rights and protections under threat by the new administration. But speaking to an audience of Black women at an event in southern California earlier this month, she sounded a more urgent tone: 'There is a sense of fear that is taking hold in our country.' Wednesday's event serves as a poignant coda for Harris as she plots her next move. She is to deliver the keynote address at the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America at the Palace hotel in San Francisco, celebrating its work recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office. The idea for the organization was born out of Harris's campaign for San Francisco district attorney in 2002, when she defeated the incumbent and one-time boss. 'Vice-President Harris is the original Emerge woman,' A'shanti F. Gholar, president and CEO of Emerge, said in a statement. 'She continues to be a champion for Emerge and an advocate for elevating women in elected office.'
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Kamala Harris to step back into spotlight to give sharp critique of Trump
Kamala Harris will step back into the political spotlight on Wednesday night to deliver a sharp critique of Donald Trump, warning that his presidency has put the US at risk of a constitutional crisis. The former vice-president has mostly kept a low profile since leaving the White House in January following her bitter defeat to Trump. Now, a day after Trump celebrated 100 days in office with a rally in Michigan, she is expected to deliver a forceful renunciation of the president's stunning power grabs that have prompted warnings of creeping authoritarianism. In her remarks, Harris, 60, will warn of a looming constitutional crisis and urge Americans to collectively join the fight to protect rights and freedoms under threat by a president seeking unchecked powers, according to a person familiar with the content of her speech. She is expected to commend leaders whose dissent has galvanized the public, including Democratic senators Cory Booker, who delivered a record-breaking 25-hour speech to show resistance to Trump, and Chris Van Hollen, who secured a visit with a man wrongly deported to El Salvador by the administration. She is also expected to emphasize that the chaos of Trump's return to power is by design, laid out in the conservative policy blueprint Project 2025. During the campaign, Trump sought to distance himself from the unpopular initiative but his actions as president follow the plan closely – from his chainsaw approach to downsizing the federal government, to his war on diversity, equity and inclusion policies and 'gender ideology'. On Tuesday, the Trump administration fired Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff other senior Biden White House officials from the board that oversees the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Earlier this month, the law firm where Emhoff works reached a deal with the White House to avert an executive order targeting its practice. Emhoff was said to have advised against the agreement, and Harris in remarks days later, seemed to obliquely address the situation, warning that 'we are seeing those that are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats'. The remarks come as Harris is weighing her next move. The former state attorney general and US senator from California is expected to decide by the end of summer whether to join the crowded field of Democrats vying to succeed California's term-limited governor, Gavin Newsom. A successful campaign to lead the country's largest blue state would give her a prominent platform from which to challenge Trump and his attacks on Democratic states. Or she could choose to mount another presidential campaign in 2028. The former vice-president has continued fundraising through the Harris Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee her presidential campaign set up with the Democratic National Committee and state Democratic parties. As Democrats search for a leader – and a path forward – after their devastating losses in November, many supporters have been eager to hear from Harris. In intermittent remarks since January, Harris has encouraged Americans to prioritize their wellbeing while staying engaged in the fight to safeguard the rights and protections under threat by the new administration. But speaking to an audience of Black women at an event in southern California earlier this month, she sounded a more urgent tone: 'There is a sense of fear that is taking hold in our country.' Wednesday's event serves as a poignant coda for Harris as she plots her next move. She is to deliver the keynote address at the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America at the Palace hotel in San Francisco, celebrating its work recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office. The idea for the organization was born out of Harris's campaign for San Francisco district attorney in 2002, when she defeated the incumbent and one-time boss. 'Vice-President Harris is the original Emerge woman,' A'shanti F. Gholar, president and CEO of Emerge, said in a statement. 'She continues to be a champion for Emerge and an advocate for elevating women in elected office.'
