Mamdani stokes Italian American outrage after resurfaced tweet shows socialist giving the finger to Christopher Columbus statue: ‘Take it down'
Italian Americans were outraged at mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani Monday after a social media post resurfaced showing him flipping the bird at a statue of Christopher Columbus and calling for its removal.
The socialist Mamdani is seen in the tweet from June 2020 giving the middle finger to the back of the towering figure in Astoria, which is part of his state Assembly district.
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5 Italian Americans were outraged at mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani Monday after a social media post resurfaced.
Stephen Yang
'Take it down,' wrote Mamdani, who was running for state office at the time.
The tweet left a bad taste in the mouth of Italian American groups in the Big Apple this week, including the Columbus Heritage Coalition.
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Angelo Vivolo, the group's president, vowed not to support the lefty candidate come November.
5 The socialist Mamdani is seen in the tweet from June 2020 giving the middle finger to the back of the towering figure in Astoria.
Zohran Mamdani/X
'We will defend Columbus Day and Columbus statues,' he told The Post.
'He is being disrespectful to the Italian American community' said Vivolo, who is the former head of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, which runs the city's Columbus Day Parade. 'If you offend one community, you offend all communities.
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'I don't think he will be mayor for all the people of New York City.'
5 'Take it down,' wrote Mamdani, who was running for state office at the time.
Matthew McDermott
The Italian voting bloc that Mamdani disrespected makes up about 8% of the city's population, noted Joseph Scelsa, the founder and president of the Italian American Museum.
'To eliminate such a large population of people would be a travesty,' he said. 'It's not inclusive. It's exclusionary.
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'Who's to say who is a hero and who is not a hero? Columbus is our hero.'
5 The tweet left a bad taste in the mouth of Italian American groups in the Big Apple this week, including the Columbus Heritage Coalition.
Robert Miller
An email to Mamdani's campaign about the brewing controversy was not immediately returned.
The wet behind the ears socialist shocked ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June's Democratic primary, putting him in the driver's seat for November.
Mamdani could face Cuomo again in the general election — the longtime Italian American pol is mulling a run as an independent — along with Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, and GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa.
5 An email to Mamdani's campaign about the brewing controversy was not immediately returned.
Matthew McDermott
Lefties have made a habit of targeting Columbus statues and Columbus Day because of the famed explorer's treatment of Native Americans when sailing to North America.
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But supporters argue he's important to Italian Americans and his voyage was a critical moment in history.
The statue Mamdani condemned in his tweet is one of the five in Big Apple parks, according to city officials.
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NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
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3 hours ago
Some of Mamdani's platform is surprisingly similar to Bloomberg's, experts say
He proposed free crosstown buses. He pushed for steep tax hikes on the wealthy—including an 18.5% property tax increase— insisting none of his rich friends threatened to leave the city over higher taxes. He championed millions to build supermarkets in long-neglected neighborhoods. And under his plan, city workers could give privately raised cash to New Yorkers booking dental appointments or keeping their children in school. These progressive policies, however, are not from New York City's Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Experts said they were from Michael Bloomberg, New York's billionaire former Republican mayor and a prominent supporter of Andrew Cuomo's run for mayor. As Mamdani reshapes the city's political map, some experts told ABC News a striking parallel is emerging. Behind the labels of "socialist" and "technocrat," both men share aligned goals: taxing the rich during crises, promoting expansive transit ideas, and bold plans to bring fresh food to low-income communities. Still, experts said, even when policies overlap, most New Yorkers do not see them as similar. They point out many people know Mamdani as an organizer who has posted that capitalism is a form of thef t; Bloomberg as a businessman who built a fortune managing the free market that Mamdani is critiquing. Mamdani identifies himself as a democratic socialist and has stated, "I don't think that we should have billionaires." Bloomberg is one of the richest people in the world. Neither Mamdani nor Bloomberg provided statements to ABC News. Mamdani recently acknowledged in a private meeting with business leaders that he hopes to emulate Bloomberg on a few issues — even as he draws fire from many in the business community, sources familiar told ABC News. 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An archived screenshot from his campaign website states, "The MTA should eliminate fare collection..." At a campaign event, he called the MTA "bloated" and "inefficient." The New York Times contrasted observers calling the proposal "radical," and a Regional Plan Association official saying it "captured people's imaginations." A Mamdani campaign pillar calls for free fares on all bus lines. After piloting a fare-free program on five lines as an assemblymember, Mamdani compared it to Kansas City and Boston's free programs. Cuomo's bus plan for mayor includes evaluating the "expansion of a fare-free bus pilot program" that Mamdani championed, and expanding a 50% discount on public transportation for low-income residents. Regional Plan Association's Kate Slevin, who served in city government under Bloomberg, said she "can't remember other mayoral candidates" with a similar plan for free buses. Slevin told ABC News, "When it comes to fares, those are the only two I can remember." 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"Taxes were not a peripheral part of his fiscal policy. They were a central part." In a 2007 USC speech, Bloomberg reflected, "As a last resort, we even raised property taxes and income taxes on high-earners," recalling backlash, saying "raising taxes didn't make me the most popular..." In response to concerns New Yorkers may leave, Bloomberg told WNYC: "I can only tell you, among my friends, I've never heard one person say I'm going to move out of the city because of the taxes ... Not one." Former Mayor Bill de Blasio attempted to raise taxes on the wealthy to fix subways, but was not successful. Mamdani proposes permanent additional 2% tax increases for earners making over $1 million and raising corporate taxes. Bloomberg framed his hikes as temporary, specifically tied to emergencies. However, even Bloomberg acknowledged that his tax revenue supported broader ambitions. "Mike Bloomberg raised taxes following 9/11 out of fiscal necessity, not ideology," Ed Skyler, a senior executive at Citigroup and former deputy mayor for Bloomberg, told ABC News. At USC, he said increases, "allowed us to close the huge budget deficits, balance the books and continue investing in the future: building new schools, revitalizing old industrial areas, creating the largest affordable housing program in the nation, supporting our cultural institutions, parks, libraries, and universities, and expanding world-wide advertising to attract businesses and tourists." Food policy for low-income communities Under Bloomberg, starting in 2009, dozens of FRESH grocery stores opened. Many are still operating today. The program offered public subsidies to private grocery operators to boost access to fresh food in underserved neighborhoods. 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New York Post
11 hours ago
- New York Post
NYC Board of Elections asks Brooklyn DA to launch voter fraud investigation after Post expose
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