CNN’s Van Jones Calls Out Mamdani’s Immediate Character Switch Post Victory [WATCH]

Democratic socialist mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani faced immediate scrutiny Tuesday night after delivering an aggressive victory speech that drew concern even from prominent left-wing commentator Van Jones, who said the newly elected New York City leader showed a “character switch” from his campaign demeanor.

Mamdani, 34, claimed victory shortly after midnight, winning with 50.4% of the vote over independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who received 42%, with nearly 98% of precincts reporting, according to the city’s Board of Elections.

His win made him the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first socialist mayor in New York City history.

During his speech, Mamdani declared his victory as a mandate for sweeping political change in the city.

“The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” Mamdani said.

“New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city that we can afford and a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that,” he continued during the 20-minute speech.

The remarks were met with cheers from supporters, but Jones, a former Obama administration adviser and CNN commentator, reacted critically during live coverage of the event.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

“I think he missed an opportunity. I think the Mamdani that we saw in the campaign trail, who was a lot more calm, who was a lot warmer, who was a lot more embracing, was not present in that speech,” Jones said during a post-election panel.

“I think his tone was sharp. I think he was using the microphone in a way that he was almost yelling. That’s not the Mamdani that we’ve seen on TikTok and the great interviews and stuff like that.”

Jones added that Mamdani’s performance appeared inconsistent with the image he built during his campaign.

“I felt like it was a little bit of a character switch here,” he said.

“The warm, open, embracing guy was not there tonight.”

The commentator suggested Mamdani would have been better served by addressing the concerns of moderate and undecided voters who remain wary of his progressive platform.

“There are a lot of people trying to figure out, ‘Can I get on this train with him or not? Is he going to include me? Is he going to be more of a class warrior even in office?’ I think he missed a chance tonight to open up and bring more people into the tent,” Jones said.

Despite his critique, Jones acknowledged Mamdani’s political skill in securing an upset win in one of the nation’s largest cities.

“He’s very young and he just pulled off something very, very difficult. I wouldn’t write him off, but I think he missed an opportunity to open himself up tonight and I think that that will probably cost him going forward.”

CNN’s Van Jones was not a fan of Zohran Mamdani’s angry, far-left, rage-filled victory speech:

“I think he missed an opportunity. I think the Mamdani that we saw in the campaign trail, who was a lot more calm, who was a lot warmer, who was a lot more embracing, was not present… pic.twitter.com/aM2AlcgM1U

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 5, 2025

Mamdani’s campaign had drawn national attention for its outspoken support of democratic socialist policies and its grassroots organizing strategy across New York’s boroughs.

His victory speech, delivered before a cheering crowd of supporters, reflected his stated intent to pursue major reforms to housing affordability, city budgeting, and public services once he takes office.

The new mayor-elect is scheduled to assume office in January.