White House punts on Republican calls to deport Zohran Mamdani
The White House has refrained from supporting Republican calls for the deportation of New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani after his recent victory in the Democratic mayoral primary. Mamdani, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Uganda, is known for his strong criticism of former President Trump’s deportation policies and his stance on Israel’s conflict with Hamas. In response to Mamdani’s rising political profile, some Republicans, notably Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, have urged the Justice Department to investigate him and consider revoking his citizenship due to controversial rap lyrics he wrote in 2017.
During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated that while Trump does not specifically advocate for Mamdani’s deportation, he is critical of Mamdani’s policies, which he believes would harm New York City. Leavitt stated that Trump is open to working with individuals across the political spectrum but finds it challenging to collaborate with someone whose views are fundamentally opposed to American values.She concluded by expressing hope that New York City voters would make wise choices in future elections.
White House punts on Republican calls to deport Zohran Mamdani
The White House is stopping short of backing Republican calls to deport New York state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, just one week after the socialist Democrat upset former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary.
Mamdani, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Uganda, has been a staunch critic of both President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda and his handling of Israel’s war on Hamas. Republicans, most notably Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), have responded to his meteoric rise by calling on the Justice Department to investigate Mamdani, strip him of his U.S. citizenship, and deport him.
“I haven’t heard him say that. I haven’t heard him call for that, but certainly he does not want this individual to be elected,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked during Monday’s press briefing if Trump wants to see Mamdani deported. “I was just speaking to him about it and his radical policies that will completely crush New York City, which is obviously a city that the president holds near and dear to him and dear to his heart.”
Still, Leavitt declined to fully endorse Ogles’s de-naturalization push, which centers around rap lyrics Mamdani wrote in 2017 praising five men charged with funneling $12 million to Hamas in 2008, and she said that Trump would still seek to work with Mamdani if elected.
“The president is always willing to work with everyone. He’s working with Democrats across the country, Democrat governors, and he said he’ll work with people on the far left. He works with Republicans. He works with people in the middle. He wants to do what’s right for America,” she told reporters. “But surely, someone who holds these values and is quite literally a communist and condemns every value that makes this country great — common sense, law and order, low taxes, working hard and earning your keep in this country — he’s against all of that, and I think the president would find it difficult to work with someone like that if he is elected.”
“Hopefully, the voters of New York City choose wisely,” Leavitt concluded.
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You can watch Monday’s briefing in full below.
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