New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is coming under fire from people on both sides of the political spectrum for his embrace of the phrase “globalize the intifada.”
The socialist candidate stunned the nation when he won the Democratic primary. Since then, he has been a hot topic of political conversation — especially because of his radical leftist policy proposals. Now, several Democrats have publicly called for him to disavow the phrase due to its association with antisemitism.
However, Mamdani has resisted calls to condemn the phrase. During an interview on The Bulwark’s podcast, he claimed the phrase represented “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was asked about his thoughts on the slogan "globalize the intifada" (which he doesn't use) and his position on Palestine. I transcribed his answers in full.
— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) July 18, 2025
Full interview here: https://t.co/mJxXTv9Bzw pic.twitter.com/BPPpdPL5nF
The Arabic term “intifada” means “uprising.” It is commonly used in relation to the Palestinians rising up against Israel. Mamdani faced an immense backlash after defending the phrase.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) on Thursday called Mamdani out for embracing the phrase. She argued that he must condemn these remarks if he wants to win over Jewish voters.
“As a leader of a city as diverse as New York City with 8 million people, as the largest Jewish population in the country, he should denounce it,” she said during an interview. “And that’s it. Period.”
She continued, saying, “You can’t celebrate it, you can’t value it, you can’t lift it up.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also criticzed Mamdani over the phrase. "Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrase," Jeffries said. "He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward."
I am here to implore everyone to stop asking Zohran Mamdani to clarify his stance on “Globalize the Intifada.”
— Tali Goldsheft (@TaliGoldsheft) July 18, 2025
His stance is CLEAR.
He supports the phrase,
he stands with those who chant the phrase,
he defends terrorists who have participated in the intifada
…which is why… pic.twitter.com/vJ0MzheVrZ
He further stated that Mamdani “is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) expressed support for the candidate, but also criticized Mamdani’s use of the phrase. When asked about it, the lawmaker said, “Look, it’s not something I would say, and I think he has said that he will not say it. He will discourage others from saying.”
Mamdani did relent while speaking with The New York Times. The news outlet published a report on Tuesday, noting that Mamdani said he would no longer use or support the phrase. He made the mea culpa while speaking to a group of business leaders, acknowledging that many (rightly) view it as a call for violence against Jewish people,