The MeidasTouch Podcast - Zohran Mamdani Reacts to Trump Attack on NY

Episode Date: June 16, 2025

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s latest plan backfiring and Meiselas interviews NY Mayor Candidate Zohran Mamdani about the Mayor race, how he’s standing up to Trump, and how Trump is embarrassing us at the G7. Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Picture this, you're halfway through a DIY car fix, tools scattered everywhere, and boom, you realize you're halfway through a DIY car fix tools scattered everywhere and boom you realize you're missing a part it's okay because you know whatever it is it's on eBay they've got everything brakes headlights cold air intakes whatever you need and it's guaranteed to fit which means no more crossing your fingers and hoping you ordered the right thing all the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time. eBay. Things. People. Love. Donald Trump is absolutely humiliating himself at the G7 in Alberta, Canada, where he's taken his attacks against democratic cities before the international audience. He's just

been ranting and raving like a lunatic at the G7 against Democratic cities. Now he's saying he's going to go to New York and he's going to Chicago and he needs to escalate things there. And he looks just so addled as well when he's being asked the question, like he didn't realize that last night that he posted that he wants to escalate things in what he calls a democratic power centers because he says that Democrats are turning everybody trans transgender for everybody and that's why he wants ice to escalate their action.

I want him to what this guy's this is the most dangerous absurdist ridiculous authoritarian regime I've seen but this is what he's saying at the G seven. Let's play this clip. Why are you ordering ice to target democratic inner cities? What's the plan? I don't know what he's saying at the G7. Let's play this clip. Why are you ordering ICE to target Democratic inner cities? What's your plan? I don't know what you're saying. You did a post last night where you said you want ICE to really target Democrats.

I want them to focus on the cities because the cities are where you really have what's called sanctuary cities. And that's where the people are. I look at New York, I look at Chicago. I mean, you got a really bad governor in Chicago and a bad mayor. But the governor is probably the worst in the country, Pritzker.

But I look at how that city has been overrun by criminals and, you know, New York and LA, look at LA, LA, those people weren't from LA, they weren't from California, most of those people. So Prime Minister Carney, who was by his side, had to literally shut down that press conference because it was such an embarrassment to the other G7 nations as well. And look, we can't be business as usual confronting this Trump authoritarian regime. We need new leadership. So when I think about the New York Democratic mayoral primaries that are taking place on

June 24th. I'm looking for new leadership and I saw that on display at the recent debate that took place. Everybody remember this moment right here? Let's play it. To Mr. Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace. I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA.

I have never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment. I have never sued for their gynecological records. And I have never done those things because I am not you, Mr. Cuoma. And furthermore, the name is Mamdani, M-A-M-D-A-N-I. You should learn how to say it because we got to get it right. I'm joined by New York State Assembly member Zoran Mamdani right now. Zoran, I want to get your response to what Donald Trump's

been saying about his attacks on New York. And then I want to talk about the mayoral race as well with the primaries coming up June 24. Well, thank you, first of all, for having me. It's such a pleasure to be here. And I think what we're seeing in Donald Trump's remarks is yet another example of the authoritarian administration that he is leading in Washington, DC, one that is hell bent on attacking not just immigrants across this country,

but the very fabric of our country and to trample on the Constitution in the process of doing so. And, you know, even just this military parade the other day, it's an example of all that is wrong with the MAGA movement, a focus on pomp and circumstance over actually addressing the needs of working in middle-class Americans. There are so many New Yorkers across these five boroughs

in this state who thought that in voting for Donald Trump, they were voting for cheaper groceries, for more affordable life, and yet all they have gotten is the political persecution of his perceived enemies. And that's all Donald Trump has to offer. One of the things that you did was right after the disastrous November 2024 election, you spoke to people in your district and in your areas and Queens and Astoria

and elsewhere in New York. And you were asking them, why'd you vote for, why'd you vote for Trump? I wanted to show everybody because to me, this was really part of your journey to understanding how Donald Trump was defrauding your own constituents and the people of New York and how to kind of calibrate against this authoritarian regime.

Let's just play this. I want people to see this. This was November 15, 2024 you posted this. Let's play. Did you get a chance to see this. This was November 15, 2024. You posted this. Let's play. Did you get a chance to vote on Tuesday? I didn't vote. And why did you not vote? Because I don't believe in the system anymore.

Did you get a chance to vote on Tuesday? Yes! And who did you vote for? Trump! Ah, the million dollar question. Trump. Ah, Trump. Donald Trump.

Well, actually, the early voted. I voted for Trump. Honestly, I didn't vote. Oh, she voted for Trump. I voted for Trump. I voted for Trump. Honestly, I didn't vote. Oh, she voted for Trump. I voted for Trump. I voted for Trump. Me too. Before I voted Democrat, at this moment, I voted Donald Trump.

Hillside Avenue in Queens and Fordham Road in the Bronx are two areas that saw the biggest shift towards Trump in last week's election. Even more residents didn't vote at all. They like Trump because they don't want the Palestinians, the brothers, they killed. The war in Ukraine, the Democrats giving all the money and the war. This is no good. The swing is because people want lower prices. They probably believe that Trump will give them that. Market price or energy, gas, most of these people are working families.

They're working one to two, three jobs and rent is expensive. Foods are going up, utility bills are up. And that's your hope, to see a little bit more of an affordable life? Absolutely. So now as you watch that today, what goes through your mind? It's sad to see how Donald Trump exploited the very real despair that New Yorkers were feeling in living in the most expensive city in the United States, only to deliver them even more of that lack of affordability, only to deliver them even more

of a focus on war, despite all of the promises that were made over the course of that election. Let's talk about your fight for the people of New York as part of this mayoral race. How are you not just going to fight back against the authoritarian regime, but deliver results for those people who are suffering, who have issues, who want them to be addressed? Donald Trump preyed on it, and I think Democrats didn't speak to it. So you have the con artists speaking to it, but lying to manipulate, and then another party kind of not really understanding, I think, so much what the people were going through. Yeah, I think you're exactly right.

But if we as Democrats do not address this despair, then it does not matter that Donald Trump is insincere. It does not matter that he's ridiculous. It does not matter that he's horrific. He in exploiting it will be seen as the only one who's addressing it. And in that same video at the end of those conversations, I asked those Democrats, what would it take for you to come back to the party? And they said a relentless focus on an economic agenda.

And I asked them, what would you say to a campaign that is fighting to freeze the rent for more than 2 million rent stabilized tenants to make the slowest buses in the country fast and free to deliver universal childcare? And they said they would vote for that candidate. And then I introduced myself as a candidate running on those very campaign promises to be the next mayor of the city. And I think that's so critically important in this moment

that we, as politicians, we listen more than we lecture so that we can finally bring more people back into our democracy. Because it's not just under attack from the outside, it's also under attack from its fading relevancy to people's lives. That's how people perceive it. And the fewer New Yorkers participate in this democracy, the less representative

it becomes of the city as a whole. I think one of the things we've seen with your campaign is this isn't a test. Okay. Our constitution is being slaughtered right now by the Trump regime each and every day they're disappearing. Our brothers and sisters off the streets. They're sending them to concentration camps in foreign countries. They're lying to judges.

They're not following court orders. We're seeing ICE raids in factories and Home Depot parking lots ripping people apart in our communities. And you use that language. Like, you're not out there saying, well, you know, I think there that's escalating rhetoric. You're like, no, this is authoritarianism. And you've confronted, you know, the borders are Tom Homan. Let me just remind everybody of this moment as well

back in March here, play this clip. How many more New Yorkers will you detain? How many more New Yorkers will you detain? How many more New Yorkers will you not detain? Do you believe in the first amendment? Do you believe in the First Amendment? Do you believe in the First Amendment, Tom Homan? When we asked Tom Homan, all he had to answer for that cruelty was a smirk. Because there is no answer for taking a man from his pregnant wife,

who is due to deliver their newborn child in a month, from their Columbia University apartment. A day after, that same man, Mahmmoud Khalil wrote to Columbia University and said he feared for his life. The cowardice that is on display across our city and our state is unacceptable. New Yorkers are looking to us, they're looking to their leaders for courage and for conviction. And what they are finding instead is collaboration. And that is just simply unacceptable. for courage and for conviction. And what they are finding instead is collaboration.

And that is just simply unacceptable. So talk to us about you using the language to meet the moment and just how you feel about this current moment. I think it behooves all of us to describe things as they are, not how we wish them to be. And when we're looking at a Trump administration that is sending in the National Guard,

sending in Marines that is sending in the National Guard, sending in Marines, that is asking ICE agents to arrest New Yorkers, be they in their apartment building lobbies or be they a New York City public high school student by the name of Dylan going for their regular check-in at Federal Plaza, these are instructions from the Trump administration that are attacking the very fabric of the city. And, you know, often it is tempting to think that this repression is solely coming from Washington, but it's being echoed right here in New York City.

I mean, I'm running for mayor against Andrew Cuomo, who is funded by the same Republican billionaires that put Donald Trump back in that White House. And when we're talking about this military parade, when we're talking about this attempt to build the single largest deportation force in American history, we know that these are the very actions described by someone like Bill Ackman as being historic.

And it's the same Bill Ackman who just gave Andrew Cuomo's super PAC another $250,000 check. This battle for our democracy, this battle to not only name authoritarianism for what it is, but also to ensure that we have a mayor who can look it in the eye without seeing a reflection of themselves. It's a battle that's going to be on the ballot on June 24th.

You know, I was out there in my local Pasadena, no King's protests. I saw the protests though across the country, huge protests in New York, in New York City, in the cities and towns throughout New York and throughout the country, blue states, red states, purple states. And the constant theme I've heard is that people are looking in Hungary for new leadership that's actually listening to their concerns. Some of the biggest issues people are not talking about on the media and I just want people who are listening to what we're going through, housing and healthcare

and education and quality of life and trying to navigate through these difficult times, listen to what we're saying. So for all of the New Yorkers who may be listening to this and just for everybody who's being introduced to you, Zoran Mamdani for the first time year on the Midas Touch Network, as we're in the home stretch, election is June 24th. What's your kind of message to everybody right now?

My message is that it's time to make the most expensive city in the United States, one that's affordable for the working and middle-class New Yorkers who built it. And it's a message that I know is putting us on the precipice of toppling a political dynasty. We started this race at about 1% in the polls. Andrew Cuomo had a 40% lead just a few months ago. We have cut that down to just two points now with about a week left in this election. And ultimately, it's an opportunity for us here in this city to turn the page on the politics of the past, to finally bring an end to the era of failed leadership

in this city and this state, and to vote for a new generation of leadership, one that understands the most pressing crisis in the city, gives it the urgency it requires, and will actually deliver a plan to keep those same New Yorkers in the city that they love. We know that Donald Trump watches the Midas Touch Network and has his team watch it.

So if they're watching it right now in DC or in Canada, what would be your message to them right now? I would say that I'm sorry, because I know that they're rooting for Andrew Cuomo, because he's backed by the same Republican billionaires that are paying their salaries. And ultimately what New Yorkers deserve is a mayor who can actually stand up and fight back against Donald Trump,

not one whose record looks eerily similar to that of Donald Trump himself. I mean, we're talking about a mayoral candidate, Andrew Cuomo, who also cut Medicaid, who also stole hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA, who also hounded the many women who courageously stepped forward to credibly accuse him of sexual harassment, who has done so many betrayals of New Yorkers across the five boroughs in this state, that it is ridiculous for us to consider allowing him to come back into leadership, especially when he has shown himself unable to even acknowledge or apologize for those same betrayals. Zoran Mamdani, thanks for joining us on the Midas Touch Network.

Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers this week. Picture this. You're halfway through a DIY car fix, tools scattered everywhere, and boom, you realize you're missing a part. It's okay, because you know whatever it is, it's on eBay. They've got everything. Brakes, headlights, cold air intakes, whatever you need.

And it's guaranteed to fit, which means no more crossing your fingers and hoping you ordered the right thing. All the parts you need at prices you'll love, guaranteed to fit every time. eBay, things people love. Picture this, you're halfway through a DIY car fix, tools scattered everywhere, and boom, you realize you're missing a part.

It's okay, because you know whatever it is, it's on eBay. They've got everything. Brakes, headlights, cold air intakes, whatever you need. And it's guaranteed to fit, which means no more crossing your fingers and hoping you ordered the right thing. All the parts you need at prices you'll love guaranteed to fit every time. eBay. Things people love.