Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani offered sharp criticism and pointed “advice” to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Monday, suggesting the incoming Democratic Socialist leader should decline to take office, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
“My advice to him is to step down and do something else,” Giuliani told The New York Post of Mamdani, whom he described as “a Communist — right out of Karl Marx.”
Giuliani, a Republican who served two terms as mayor and earned national recognition for his leadership during and after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, accused Mamdani of being unfit to lead the city.
He claimed the mayor-elect’s ties to controversial figures and his views on Israel reveal troubling sympathies.
Giuliani specifically criticized a photo taken during Mamdani’s campaign in which he appeared with Imam Suraj Wahhaj, a Brooklyn-based cleric once accused of radical associations.
“The imam he was with is a strong supporter of terrorism,” Giuliani said.
“I’m not worried that he’s a Muslim. I’m worried that he supports Muslim extremism.”
Mamdani, who will be New York City’s first Muslim mayor, has not yet commented on Giuliani’s remarks.
Giuliani went on to question whether the incoming mayor could pass a federal background check.
“You think the federal government will give this guy a security clearance?” he said.
“Zohran Mamdani is a serious security threat to the United States of America. He’s a Communist and a sympathizer for Muslim terrorism.”
The former mayor also condemned Mamdani’s outspoken criticism of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Israel seems like an obsession with him,” Giuliani said, citing Mamdani’s support of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.
“The BDS movement wants to wipe out the state of Israel. Mamdani is one of the best-known antisemites in the country,” he claimed.
Giuliani’s comments come days after Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral race, which marked a historic win for progressives in the city.
The 32-year-old Democrat and state assemblyman from Queens campaigned on policies rooted in Democratic socialism, including housing reform and police oversight.
In his closing remarks, Giuliani offered one additional piece of advice to his successor: “Love America.”
Neither Mamdani nor his campaign team have issued a statement in response to Giuliani’s comments.
Giuliani, who later served as an attorney for President Donald Trump, was pardoned by the Trump administration for his involvement in the disputed events surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
President Trump, who returned to office after winning the 2024 election, has not publicly commented on Giuliani’s remarks about Mamdani.