New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist, used the nation's 250th anniversary celebration to deliver a bitter critique of the United States, a country he and his parents voluntarily immigrated to. In his July 4 speech, Mamdani accused America of belonging only to those with the right accent or skin color, calling such attitudes small, weak, and unoriginal.
Privileged Background Under Scrutiny
Mamdani, the pampered son of an endowed professor and an elite filmmaker, arrived in America from Uganda as part of the Indian American community, statistically the wealthiest and most highly credentialed ethnic group in the U.S. His mother reportedly received millions of dollars in grants from the Qatari royal autocracy. Despite this privilege, Mamdani includes himself among the supposedly victimized, invoking a Marxist oppressed-oppressor binary.
In Uganda, the Indian community, though only about 1% of the population, controls roughly 60% of the nation's GDP, according to economic data. Mamdani's family once belonged to this settler-colonial elite, raising questions about his portrayal of America as uniquely oppressive.
Ingratitude and Anti-Americanism
The United States has asked nothing of the Mamdanis, much less demanded gratitude from a family whose books, films, and activism have consistently reflected anti-Americanism. Mamdani's anger seems misplaced given the extraordinary opportunities America afforded his family. He fails to acknowledge that Americans welcome more immigrants each year than any other nation, admiring legal immigrants who assimilate and integrate rather than carving out ethnic enclaves.
Recent immigrants from failed states, plagued by caste prejudice, dictatorship, and systemic violence, often lecture Americans about America's shortcomings. Mamdani himself was less critical of Uganda, where his family belonged to the privileged ruling caste. He also attempted to game the system by claiming minority status as an "African" at Columbia University, a claim that was rejected.
Selective Criticism and Racial Division
Mamdani's charge that leaders use exclusion to divide people for power is ironic, as he has mastered such tactics in demonizing whites and Jews. Racialism has become a hallmark of his Democratic Socialists. He proposed targeting "whiter neighborhoods" with higher taxes and called AIPAC "monsters." His housing czar, Cea Weaver, declared homeownership a "weapon of white supremacy" and endorsed a platform calling for "no more white men in office." Former campaign operative Darializa Avila Chevalier attacked white women as "ugly colonizer women." His newly appointed director of appointments, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, resigned after her comments about "money-hungry Jews" and ensuring "that white people feel defeated" resurfaced. Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, reportedly liked over 70 Instagram posts celebrating the October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 Jews and illustrated a book by antisemitic author Susan Abulhawa.
America's Self-Correction and Openness
Mamdani ignores America's long tradition of self-criticism and correction. The U.S. fought a civil war to abolish slavery, spent roughly $25 trillion on race- and income-based entitlements since the War on Poverty, and has admitted millions of nonwhite immigrants since the mid-1960s. Some 5.4 million Indians have immigrated to the U.S., making them one of the largest foreign-born populations, with about 150,000 more arriving each year. If America were as xenophobic and racist as Mamdani alleges, why would so many choose to come here?
Mamdani's projection is clear: few contemporary politicians have done more to exploit race and antisemitism for political gain. His rhetoric fits his own description of those who seek power by turning people against one another.
