JD Vance has lashed out at New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani, telling him he should show “gratitude” to the United States.
The vice president launched the Trump administration’s latest attack on the candidate when asked what his lifelong Democrat grandmother would think about the modern day Democratic party, in an interview Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show.”
“What do you think it says about the left that Zohran Mamdani is a leading candidate for big political office as a Democrat – what would your Meemaw say about modern Democrats?” the interview asked.
Vance replied: “I think Meemaw would say this is crazy in the modern Democratic party [and] doesn’t represent her at all.”
“Does Mamdani, when you hear him speak – is this a man who feels gratitude for the United States of America? Is this a man who feels grateful for all of the opportunities, the incredible bounty of this country?” the vice president asked. “I don’t know the guy, but my sense is that he has had a very good life in this country.”
“It would be nice for him to occasionally show a sense of gratitude instead of just attacking the U.S. for all of its problems.”
Vance went on to say his grandmother “had multiple relatives who served in World War Two,” days after he made a gaffe by wrongly claiming World War 2 ended with “some kind of negotiation.”
This is not the first broadside the Trump administration has fired at Mamdani.
In June, the president blasted the Democratic candidate, calling him “a 100% Communist Lunatic,” adding, “We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous.”
Earlier this month, it was also reported that the commander-in-chief weighed up intervening in the New York mayoral race in an effort to stop Mamdani from winning, said insiders to The Telegraph.
Days later, Mamdani launched his “five boroughs against Trump” tour to draw attention to the president’s agenda and the impact of the administration in the city, from immigration raids and courthouse arrests.
In total, eleven candidates are running for mayor of New York City on November 4, 2025.
Among them are Eric Adams, incumbent NYC mayor running as an independent, Curtis Sliwa, a Republican founder of the anti-street crime organization “Guardian Angels”, and James Walden, a former federal prosecutor who is also running independently.
