JONATHAN TURLEY: Why NYC's Zohran Mamdani looks more and more like a hardcore Marxist

Fox News

01-07-2025

Zohran Mamdani was officially certified as the winner of the June 24 New York City Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday. He defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on his way to a victory that is still sending shockwaves through the Democratic Party establishment and beyond.
Now, the debate rages over who Mamdani really is. Is he antisemitic or just pro-Palestinian? Is he anti-ICE or just pro-immigrant? However, one thing seems to be increasingly clear. Mamdani is a serious Marxist and that should concern anyone in New York City.
Recently, PolitiFact declared that it was "false" that Zohran Mamdani is a "communist." This was in response to President Donald Trump's calling him a "100% Communist Lunatic" on Truth Social. However, while we can quibble over whether the term "communist" is supported by past statements, it appears that Mamdani is likely a Marxist.
PolitiFact characterized the use of the label by Trump and others as a "red scare tactic that has existed in U.S. politics for decades." For those who are center-right in American politics, it may have seemed a tad ironic since conservatives and libertarians are routinely called "fascists" and the left has engaged in McCarthy-like tactics to blacklist and question the loyalty those with opposing views. That is rarely the subject of "fact checks."
I have repeatedly discussed the biased and sometimes false conclusions of PolitiFact (here, here, and here). On this occasion, PolitiFact may have once again been too quick on the trigger to denounce Trump and conservatives over the characterizations of Mamdani's political and economic views.
First, I have not joined those who have called Mamdani a "communist" as opposed to a "socialist" because these terms are interpreted in wildly different ways. For example, despite being a great critic of Mamdani and his views, I have not seen Mamdani advocating for single-party control over the political system or the complete centralization of the economy under government control.
However, it appears that Mamdani may be a Marxist, based on recently revealed comments he has made. In one speech before the Young Democratic Socialists of America conference, Mamdani even states matter-of-factly how one of the goals is to "seize the means of production" in America.
"Right now, if we're talking about the cancellation of student debt, if we're talking about Medicare for all, you know, these are issues which have the groundswell of popular support across this country. But then there are also other issues that we firmly believe in, whether it's BDS or whether it is the end goal of seizing the means of production, where we do not have the same level of support at this very moment."
That does not sound like soft socialism, but fairly hardcore Marxism. It also contradicts PolitiFact's statement that "Mamdani's platform is not akin to communism, a system of government which calls for government takeover of private property and control of industry."
To his credit, Mamdani is not denying that he opposes capitalism and wants to eliminate all billionaires. (He is not clear where millionaires might face their own cutoff for excessive wealth).
Mamdani is the perfect product of the extreme American left. He emerged from the Hollywood and academic environs where extreme views are all the rage. He is the son of Professor Mahmood Mamdani, a far-left professor, and Mira Nair, a liberal Indian-American filmmaker. His father teaches "post-colonial" subjects at Columbia University and is presently the director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Uganda.
Mamdani is the prototype of what some of us have been writing about regarding the radicalization of higher education, particularly at America's elite colleges and universities. He graduated in 2014 from the elite Bowdoin College with a bachelor's degree in African studies. These schools are now largely devoid of conservative faculty members. Scholars generally run from the left to the far left.
Polls show increasing support among young people for socialism and even communism. Notably, Mamdani received significant support in the primary from wealthy and young college-educated voters.
To put it simply, it is cool to be socialist among generations who did not witness the economic failures of socialist systems in the 20th Century in countries like Great Britain and France. They did not witness former communist countries turning to capitalism to rescue their failing economies.
Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primary was fueled by promises of free buses, free healthcare, free daycare, as well as city-run grocery stores. He even promised to "make Halal eight bucks again."
It is true that most countries, including the United States, have long embraced social welfare systems. It is also true that some programs once denounced as socialism are now considered mainstream. However, Mamdani's categorical opposition to capitalism and his references to seizing control of the means of production suggest more extreme Marxist views.
Mamdani has tried to downplay fears over his views after his victory, stating:
"When we talk about my politics, you know, I call myself a Democratic socialist in many ways inspired by the words of Dr. [Martin Luther] King from decades ago, who said, 'Call it democracy, call it Democratic-Socialism, there has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God's children in this country.'"
It is hard to "call it Democratic-Socialism" when you are talking about seizing control of the means of production and opposing capitalism. It suggests that his vision of a "greater distribution of wealth" is far more radical than anything Dr. King was referencing.
Mamdani would not be the first child from an affluent, privileged background to embrace Marxism. In my forthcoming book, "Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution," (Simon & Schuster, Feb.3, 2026) I examine how revolutionaries, from the French Revolution to contemporary movements, have often come from the elite or privileged classes. I discuss the current radicalization in the U.S. in exploring the future of American democracy in the 21st Century.
There is a full-court press to dismiss questions about Mamdani's philosophical views by many in the legacy media and academia. After all, as Mamdani noted that on "issues that we firmly believe in [like] the end goal of seizing the means of production... we do not have the same level of support at this very moment." That support is growing by maintaining a cocoon of ambiguity.
There is a good-faith debate about whether the existing record supports the claim that Mamdani is a communist. However, there is ample reason to suggest that he is a Marxist. That should be a matter of significant concern, particularly as the possible head of government in the world's greatest financial center.
Marx once said in frustration that "if anything is certain, it is that I myself am not a Marxist." Perhaps, but New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has all the makings of a hardcore Marxist.