Zohran Mamdani Defends Calling AIPAC ‘Monsters’ After Brooklyn Rally Questions

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended remarks he made about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) after questions about whether his language invoked antisemitic tropes during a Brooklyn rally for progressive congressional candidates he endorsed in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries.

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Mamdani said at City Hall, “I want to be very clear: We’re talking about a status quo where children are being killed on a daily basis,” while responding to concerns from members of the Jewish community and New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer.

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He also defended his “monsters” framing by linking it to AIPAC’s role in “direct contributions” and “dark money” in New York congressional primaries, including what he called “New York 13.”

At the Kings Theatre rally in Brooklyn, Mamdani invoked Antonio Gramsci and told supporters, “Now is the time of monsters,” as he pointed to television ads and political spending tied to AIPAC and other super PACs.

The dispute unfolded as Mamdani echoed UNICEF warnings in a June 19 UN News report, where UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said 265 Palestinian children had been killed in Gaza since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025.

Jewish leaders and Jewish organizations condemned Mamdani’s remarks, with CNN reporting that the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee warned of the dangers of such language coming from the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel.

Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, said on X, “Mayor Mamdani, referring to fellow New Yorkers as ‘monsters’ is outrageous and dangerous, and the impact of your words extends far beyond politics,” while New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer wrote, “Swap ‘AIPAC’ for ‘Jews’ and it’s the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books.”

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CNN said Mamdani stood by his characterization of AIPAC as “monsters” and tied it to the Gaza death toll, while also saying he was quoting Antonio Gramsci when pressed on the term.

Jewish Insider reported that Mamdani “doubled down” on Monday, defending naming AIPAC among “monsters who move dark money,” and maintaining he was quoting 20th century Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci’s “time of monsters.”

The same report said the phrase is a “notorious and widely known misquote of Gramsci’s,” while Mamdani backed his argument with statistics from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry alleging the death of more than 1,000 Palestinians at the hands of the IDF since the ceasefire last fall.

The controversy is playing out alongside New York’s Democratic primaries, where Mamdani’s endorsed candidates include Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, and where AIPAC-linked spending is described as part of the campaign debate.

“Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday defended comments he made about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) after he was asked whether language including “monsters” and “dark money” was dangerous or invoked antisemitic tropes”

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CNN said Federal Election Commission filings show AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, made two political contributions last month totaling over $600,000 to BOLD America, which has been funding ads in support of Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th District.

Al Jazeera reported that Mamdani doubled down after being asked whether calling the pro-Israel lobbying group “monsters” could be dangerous, and it quoted him saying, “They move millions in dark money to accomplish a single goal: To preserve their power so that they can turn us against one another.”

In the same Al Jazeera account, Mamdani pointed to the Gaza death toll, noting “more than 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since a US-brokered ‘ceasefire’ was agreed last October,” as he argued the status quo is defended through “direct contributions” in “New York 13.”

As the primary results determine which challengers the party nominates for midterm elections in November, Al Jazeera said stances toward Israel have become a “major flashpoint” in the races, including criticism of Chevalier for attending a pro-Palestine protest a day after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.