President Trump calls Mamdani-backed candidate ‘communist’
President Trump called a New York congressional candidate endorsed by New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani a “communist” after winning the primary.
Hunter Biden criticized establishment Democrats in a post about Tuesday’s New York primary, which was a landslide victory for progressives and socialists.
Former President Joe Biden’s son praised Zoran Mamdani’s governance, saying the Democratic Party was running away from its own voters.
Here’s what you need to know:
Hunter Biden’s post about the New York primary
On Tuesday night, three Mamdani-backed candidates, two of whom are DSA members, won big victories in state legislative primaries. Daria Riza Avila Chevalier, along with Claire Valdez and Brad Lander, defeated Establishment Democrats, dealing blowbacks to party heavyweights such as Minority Chair Hakeem Jeffries and Gov. Kathy Hochul, who had supported the two incumbents.
After his landslide victory, Biden criticized his father’s political party and outlined the lessons he learned from the hotly contested campaign.
“The support from the current Democratic leadership now sounds like a warning. The establishment wing of the party is no longer a sword. It’s a question mark,” Biden wrote in an X post on Wednesday.
“Conviction trumps caution. The candidate who said tough things about Gaza, about rent, about who pays what, won. The triangulators lost,” he continued.
He said the cost of living is “everything” and that Democrats shouldn’t shy away from voters.
“Don’t fear the base. Sue the base. Democrats who ran away from their own voters lost. Democrats who ran toward them won.”
In one of his key points, Biden said of Mamdani, “If you want to lead the party, you have to be prepared to fight within the party. Mamdani didn’t ask for permission. He went out there.”
“Lesson after lesson: This country is tired of being controlled. People want to be led.”
Former President Joe Biden has not announced his support for the New York primary and has kept a low profile since leaving office.
However, some within the party have criticized Mamdani’s support. “We all have some frustration with the Democratic Party, but we don’t let it explode. That’s what MAGA did,” New York Attorney General Letitia James told CNN.
“Some of the candidates he has supported do not understand New York City politics or the cultural differences between districts, have never been involved in the history or struggles of some districts, and are relatively new to the work of political organizations.”
Mr. Jeffries also expressed his dissatisfaction with Mr. Mamdani after his important victory in New York’s 3rd District.
Regarding Mamdani’s non-endorsement of the incumbent, he said, “The mayor and I agree that we strongly disagree on some of the mayor’s endorsements.” “He has a job to do in terms of talks with MPs going forward.” After this comment, he revealed that he has a good working relationship with Mamdani.
But Republicans believe the result could be a boost for them. President Donald Trump said at a press conference Wednesday that having a democratic socialist as the presidential nominee could make the election easier for Republicans.
