Suozzi says Mamdani ‘tapped into’ Trump’s messaging on the economy – Washington Examiner
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) has suggested that the Democratic Party can learn valuable lessons from both President Donald Trump and socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani regarding economic messaging. Speaking on CBS’s *Face the Nation*, Suozzi described himself as “a Democratic capitalist” who acknowledges differing views with Mamdani but commended him for addressing important economic concerns that resonate with voters. He emphasized that affordability and economic issues are central to people’s lives, arguing that the Democratic Party is often perceived as focusing on social issues rather than key economic concerns. Suozzi cited the need for Democrats to improve communication strategies, utilizing diverse platforms such as social media and podcasts to reach voters effectively. Rep. Ro Khanna also supported this viewpoint, noting that Mamdani’s focus on affordability contributed to his recent electoral success and urging the Democratic Party to adopt a stronger economic message moving forward.
Suozzi says Mamdani ‘tapped into’ Trump’s messaging on the economy
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) argued the Democratic Party could learn from both President Donald Trump and Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in trying to remedy the party’s woes.
Suozzi, describing himself as “a Democratic capitalist,” said he does not see eye to eye on everything Mamdani, a socialist running for New York City mayor, advocates. However, he urged others to recognize how Mamdani “tapped into” the concerns people have about the nation’s economy, saying this is what Trump also did ahead of the 2024 election.
“Affordability and the economy is the No. 1 issue in the country, and too often, Democrats are not perceived as being focused on affordability and the economy and the middle class and people aspiring to the middle class and their economic concerns,” Suozzi said on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “They see Democrats as being primarily focused on reproductive rights and on LGBT protections, which are important issues, but they’re not the issues that people think about every night when they’re lying in bed thinking about paying their bills or when they’re talking about how they’re going to send their kids to school.”
Suozzi suggested Democrats need to look toward Mamdani and Trump for their “diagnosis” of people’s concerns about the economy. He further argued the public does not believe they can earn enough money to live a full life, and his party needs to “do a better job at communicating that.”
The lawmaker added that the Democratic Party needs to recognize the “media infrastructure is fractured,” in that there are more ways to reach voters now than on television or in newspapers. He cited how podcasts and social media are both popular avenues to communicate to voters, and his party must communicate on “all those platforms.”
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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) has also called for the Democratic Party to take similar advice from Mamdani’s recent victory, which he said happened because Mamdani was “laser-focused on affordability.”
Khanna predicted that his party is “very capable” of delivering a “strong economic message,” saying the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will be a “key issue” for Democrats to focus on in the future.
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