New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reaffirmed his support for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday, telling a reporter he “continues to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader” if Democrats retake the House this fall.
The comment landed at a delicate moment for Jeffries, who spent the weekend fielding criticism over a private meeting with Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and White House envoy.
Mamdani’s answer set off a wave of frustration among figures on the party’s left flank who had claimed him as their standard-bearer. Kshama Sawant, a socialist organizer and former Seattle city council member, wrote on social media that Mamdani “continues to support genocidal Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker” despite the Kushner meeting. She argued the Democratic Socialists of America’s strategy of working inside the Democratic Party is not working.
We don’t need an absolutist, we need progressives gaining power and using it. There’s going to be some compromises, until the establishment Dems are the ones making compromises with the left
Mamdani is generally killing it out there, but this is a baffling compromise. I hated reading this.
But Mamdani has earned some trust, so maybe there’s a deeper play going on here… I’m willing to keep faith and hope this isn’t what it looks like on the surface
And that’s really what it’s all about. Earning trust by using power for the people, because politics isn’t always simple and clear
Backroom deals are shady as hell, but they are the reality. But on the flip side, no one is going to understand something like a climate action plan, or even universal healthcare… Not until we’re living through the details
You have to earn trust to spend it wisely so you are in a position to do more to earn even more trust… Especially now, when trust in government is basically non-existent