Jack Lew, who led the Treasury Department under President Obama, sharply criticized Zohran Mamdani’s platform, calling the mayoral candidate’s ideas for New York City misguided and damaging. Mamdani, who emerged victorious in the Democratic primary, has pledged to implement a slew of progressive reforms, including fare-free public transit, no-cost childcare, and a halt on rent increases.
“The policies that he’s outlined are not policies that are good for New York. He’s running for mayor of New York, and I worry deeply having spent most of my life in New York about a city that I call home,” Lew said during a segment on CNBC on Wednesday.
“You know, I see a similarity between the kind of policy solutions to the left and the right, and — you know, that satisfy populist sentiment don’t always go through the filter of do they work. I don’t think they work, and I think that’s a problem,” he continued, warning that populist platforms—whether right-wing or leftist—often lack practical effectiveness.
President Trump has also expressed vehement opposition to Mamdani, targeting him repeatedly in recent days.
“As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York,” President Trump posted Wednesday on his Truth Social account, referring directly to Mamdani.
“Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards. I’ll save New York City, and make it ‘Hot’ and ‘Great’ again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”
Mamdani has also been accused by some of harboring antisemitic views, largely due to his stance advocating for American recognition of Palestinian statehood. However, the harshest backlash centers around his far-left economic agenda.
“You might have a democratic socialist sprinkled here and there, but that ain’t what America is. America’s about capitalism! America’s about dollars and cents,” television personality Stephen A. Smith said on his Tuesday broadcast, cautioning Democrats against elevating candidates like Mamdani.
Even though criticism has poured in from both ends of the political spectrum, Mamdani secured a decisive victory over Andrew Cuomo in the primary contest, winning support across a diverse range of neighborhoods including Crown Heights, Astoria, Williamsburg, Washington Heights, Park Slope, Flatbush, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
In response to President Trump’s remarks, Mamdani fired back during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, defending his background and the cause he champions.
“I’ve already had to start to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I’m from, who I am,” Mamdani said.
“He wants to distract from what I’m fighting for. I’m fighting for the very working people he ran a campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed.”
One key battleground between the two has been Mamdani’s vow to keep New York City a sanctuary city—a policy stance that has already fueled tensions with President Trump.
{Matzav.com}