Dave Portnoy hints at running for New York mayor against Zoran Mamdani
The founder of Barstool Sports, a vocal critic of Mamdani, says Mamdani has done “a lot of good” in the city. Here’s what you need to know:
Sitting behind George Washington’s desk and surrounded by a diverse cadre of naturalized citizens, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani staunchly defended his country’s immigrant roots ahead of the 250th Fourth of July celebration.
In his approximately 15-minute speech on July 3, he touched on his own biography and also highlighted the United States’ long history of welcoming people from all over the world.
Mamdani, 34, a naturalized citizen originally born in Uganda, praised the country’s exceptionalism, saying unlike other countries, “nothing is fixed”. He talked about seeing the Statue of Liberty from the airplane window when he first arrived in the United States at the age of seven.
“I felt what you are feeling,” Mamdani said. “The joy of being no longer just a New Yorker, but also an American.”
The democratic socialist mayor’s comments are also likely to be viewed through a political lens, given the policy direction and rhetoric used by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has adopted strict immigration enforcement policies since returning to power in 2025.
“Those in power always know their answer. In their view, America is an arena of hegemony where only a select few are allowed freedom, where not all people are created equal,” Mamdani said.
“The more people America welcomes, they say, the smaller America becomes. They’ll say America is only for people with the right accent or the right skin tone,” he added. “The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful just to be allowed to visit. How small, how weak, how unoriginal they are.”
Mamdani’s speech subtly referenced current policies being pursued by the White House, including the strategy of flooding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into major cities.
The move has been hailed by President Trump’s more loyal supporters as a necessary strategy to combat illegal immigration and eliminate violent criminals. But critics have criticized the deployment, citing controversial uses of force, including the fatal shooting of two Americans by federal agents in Minnesota earlier this year.
Just last month, Tom Homan, the administration’s border czar, said a large-scale sweep was “coming” to New York City. According to reports, ICE announced that it arrested approximately 10,000 people in five days at the end of June.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that federal agents are fulfilling President Trump’s campaign promise to “arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens” starting in the 2024 election.
“Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, arrest you, and deport you,” a statement from the Department of Homeland Security said.
Mamdani slams ICE as its influence grows
New York City’s mayor has offered a different take on ICE, which has been the focus of several Democratic primaries this year, with some pledging to fight to abolish the agency altogether.
“As ICE invades our neighborhoods, we see America every time neighbors join arms with neighbors without asking how long they’ve been here or what documents they have,” Mamdani said.
He added: “We are witnessing masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food made by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans.”
Mamdani’s speech comes less than a year after his come-from-behind victory in the Big Apple’s mayoral race and as his political influence begins to grow.
Across the country, the number of democratic socialist candidates is increasing, with most of them winning in urban and deep-blue congressional districts.
The most recent victory came in Colorado, where U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, first elected in 1996, was upset by political newcomer Melat Quiroz for her Denver seat. Others include Janice Lewis George, a self-described democratic socialist who won the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C., with a near-certain victory in the fall.
Mamdani’s speech comes after the Supreme Court wins and Trump loses.
President Trump is scheduled to give a speech at Mount Rushmore on July 3 at an event organized by Freedom 250, a group that works with governments to hold commemorative events in Washington, D.C.
One of the president’s most important goals suffered a defeat this week at the Supreme Court, when justices ruled against his attempts to limit birthright citizenship. The 6-3 decision was roundly criticized by various conservative commentators, Republican lawmakers, and administration officials.
Vice President J.D. Vance said on Fox News: “We have to keep fighting because we actually have an opportunity to reverse this decision, just as we have reversed many bad decisions over the generations.”
But the high court issued three other decisions that give the Trump administration more power to crack down on immigration through hundreds of policy changes.
One allowed President Trump to end humanitarian programs for Haitians and Syrians temporarily living in the country. The other would give the president the power to turn back asylum-seeking refugees at the border. Third, it gave the government more leeway to vet green card holders returning from overseas.
“These decisions give us the tools we need to continue to keep our country safe,” Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin said on social media on June 25.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Contributor: Bert Jansen
