New York City’s radical mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani is facing mounting criticism after resurfaced videos show the self-described democratic socialist advocating for the “seizure of the means of production” and the full de-commodification of housing, sparking renewed concerns over the candidate’s far-left agenda.
Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has dismissed his critics’ warnings as politically motivated fear-mongering.
However, multiple recordings and public statements reveal the candidate’s views are deeply aligned with Marxist economic theory.
In a 2021 speech delivered to a socialist conference, Mamdani openly called on fellow leftists to remain uncompromising in their vision, including their push to “seize the means of production.”
The idea is a hallmark phrase long associated with communist revolutionaries.
That same year, Mamdani appeared in a video produced by The Gravel Institute, a progressive advocacy group, where he laid out his vision for housing reform.
In the video, Mamdani rejects the idea of housing as a private commodity and calls for replacing luxury condos with communal-style developments that include shared kitchens, laundry, and food co-ops.
“Why do so many people end up homeless?” Mamdani asks.
“It’s not because there aren’t enough homes to go around.
“There are plenty of empty homes.
“No. It’s because housing people is not a primary goal of developers or landlords.
“Their goal, simply put, is to make a profit.”
Mamdani continues: “Housing doesn’t have to be seen as a market at all.”
Citing Vienna’s post-war public housing model is largely rooted in socialist principles.
Yet, Mamdani paints a glowing picture of communal living, praising facilities with shared bathhouses, pharmacies, lecture halls, and even swimming pools.
While he concedes that many Vienna residents still live in private housing and pay rent, he holds up the city’s system as a model for what New York should become.
“If we want to end the housing crisis, the solution has to be moving toward the full de-commodification of housing,” Mamdani argues.
“In other words, moving away from the status quo in which most people access housing by purchasing it on the market and toward a future where we guarantee high-quality housing to all as a human right.”
He calls for community land trusts to buy up existing private housing and gradually transfer ownership to the public.
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The rhetoric has drawn fierce backlash, including from President Donald Trump.
Trump condemned Mamdani in a fiery statement posted Wednesday on Truth Social.
“As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York,” Trump wrote.
“Rest assured, I hold all the levers and have all the cards.
“I’ll save New York City, and make it ‘Hot’ and ‘Great’ again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”
Trump also vowed to withhold federal funds if Mamdani were elected and pursued policies that “destroy the economic engine” of the nation’s largest city.
Critics argue that Mamdani’s policy proposals, if enacted, would represent a fundamental shift in property rights and an unprecedented expansion of government control over private real estate.
“Others point to failed socialist experiments around the globe that led to housing shortages, economic stagnation, and mass dislocation.
Despite the backlash, Mamdani has remained defiant.
He insists that efforts to label him a communist are designed to distract from the city’s housing affordability crisis.
But with the mayoral election approaching and President Trump making the race a national issue, Mamdani’s platform, and the ideology behind it, is facing intense public scrutiny.
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