Tucker Carlson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, praise NYC’s Zohran Mamdani for debate answer

Two Trump allies offered up rare praise of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, after he came out as the top candidate in the Democratic primary this week.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene were talking about Mr. Mamdani’s surprising victory over Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, on “The Tucker Carlson Show.”

“That guy was the only person in the New York City mayor’s debate to say he wanted to focus on New York City,” Mr. Carlson said about Mr. Mamdani’s performance in the mayoral debate earlier this month.

“All the candidates were asked if you could visit a foreign country, what would it be? And they all, of course, all had an answer. I think most said Israel. Great. And he said, ‘I wouldn’t go anywhere. I’d stay in New York. And like, if I want to meet Jewish constituents, I go to their synagogues, their homes, or whatever, but I’d be here in New York because that’s what I’m doing. I’m running New York. That’s my job.”

Both Mr. Carlson and Ms. Greene agreed that he gave the right answer, but admitted that they disagreed with his political beliefs.

“I don’t think it works, but he’s talking about economics and everyone else is talking about foreign policy,” Mr. Carlson said. “Why is it hard to talk about economics, domestic economics?”

“I don’t know, apparently they don’t know how to fix it. Well, look who he was running against. He’s looking, I mean, the failed mayor [sic], Andrew Cuomo, look at him,” Ms. Greene said, adding that he’s seen as the “dirty establishment Democrat.”

“So they look at this man who’s been in our country for what? Six years? Six years. So he’s foreign-born. He’s a socialist and he’s promising to empty the prisons and do all kinds of crazy things and he’s talking, but he’s talking to them on their level and talking about the problems they are facing relating to them with the problems you’re facing,” she said. “So these young people have no choice, but to turn to this.”

She said it’s a failure of the Republican Party that the people of New York City feel the need to vote for Mr. Mamdani.

Mr. Mamdani, 33, is a self-described democratic socialist. He was born in Uganda but moved to New York City when he was seven years old.

He has called for policies like free buses, free childcare, rent freezes and minimum wage increases. He has also proposed a 2% tax on residents making over $1 million annually.

President Trump has also criticized Mr. Mamdani, calling him a “100% communist lunatic.”

“We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous,” he wrote on social media. “He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him.”

Mr. Mamdani seemed to brush off the president’s comments in an interview earlier this week.

“You know, this is not the first time that President Trump is going to comment on myself, and I encourage him, just like I encourage every New Yorker, to learn about my actual policies to make the city affordable,” Mr. Mamdani said.