New York socialist Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is rumored to be considering a 2028 presidential run, criticized President Donald Trump during a rally for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
During the rally in New York City, AOC mentioned Trump and suggested that a Mamdani victory would have implications beyond the city itself.
“The election of Zohran is just as important as our cause today,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the rally. “Child care, buses, rent, and our rights, here in New York City — it is the center and jewel of everything possible in America.”
“And on November 4,” she continued, “we will show this to the world, we will show it to the nation, and we will send a strong message to President Donald Trump that his authoritarianism has no place here.”
Ocasio-Cortez also emphasized the broader implications of the election and addressed Trump directly.
“This is America, New York City. Don’t let them tell you otherwise. Don’t let them tell you that we are the exception. We are the rule. We are the standard. We are acceptance, and we set the bar for America,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I am speaking to you, Donald Trump.”
“This is why Donald Trump is paying attention to this election. Ordinary people, working-class people, Black and white, Latino, Asian, gay and straight, coming together to take on the oligarchy that is Trump’s worst nightmare,” she continued.
Mamdani and Trump have clashed at various points throughout the election campaign.
Late last month, the president warned that Mamdani, if elected mayor, “will have problems with Washington like no mayor in the history of our once-great city.”
“Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed New York City Communist, who is running for Mayor, will turn out to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“Remember, he needs money from me, as President, to fulfill all of his fake communist promises. He won’t get any, so what’s the point of voting for him?”
A report published Monday details how Zohran Mamdani, who is currently leading in the race for New York City mayor, began and rose to become the face of the left-wing socialist movement in the U.S.
Fox News notes that Mamdani’s rise occurred “even while campaigning with radical imams, some of whom have supported terrorists and terrorist financiers,” and has been greatly assisted by millions in donations from groups associated with left-wing billionaire George Soros and radical activist Linda Sarsour.
A database of 110 groups supporting New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani reveals a tightly connected network of organizations identifying as Muslim or socialist, working alongside 76 Democratic Party affiliates, allied groups, and labor unions, according to Fox.
Two networks — Linda Sarsour’s MPower organizations and a coalition known as Emgage — play central roles in this political alliance.
According to tax filings, MPower and Emgage have received nearly $2.5 million in recent years from billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
“We fund a range of civil society organizations that aim to deepen civic engagement through peaceful democratic participation, counter discrimination, including against Muslim Americans, and advance human rights,” an Open Society Foundations spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
“The grants you cited all occurred years before the mayoral race, and we are a nonpartisan organization that does not fund political candidates and their campaigns,” the spokesperson added.
MPower and Emgage are part of a close-knit coalition of roughly 30 ethnic and religious organizations that includes CAIR Action — the political arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations — as well as the Islamic Circle of North America, Muslim Action Coalition, Yemeni American Merchants Association, Bangladeshi American Advocacy Group, and Desis Rising Up and Moving.
These groups have actively supported Mamdani’s campaign through coordinated social media promotion, canvassing operations, and voter mobilization initiatives, Fox reported.
Together, the organizations have combined annual revenues of roughly $24 million and have supported Mamdani’s campaign through endorsements, fundraising, social media promotion, and voter outreach.