The mother of New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once declared that her son is “not an American at all,” using language critics now call derogatory toward the United States, an unearthed interview from 2013 has revealed.
The revelation adds fuel to growing scrutiny around the far-left politician’s worldview as the state’s political climate shifts ahead of next year’s elections.
In a 2013 interview with the Hindustan Times, celebrated Indian filmmaker Mira Nair spoke about her then 21-year-old son, who at the time was studying at Bowdoin College and co-founding a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter that pushed for academic sanctions against Israel.
“He is a total desi,” Nair said in the interview.
“Completely. We are not firangs at all.
“He is very much us. He is not an Uhmericcan (American) at all.
“He was born in Uganda, raised between India and America.
“He is at home in many places.
“He thinks of himself as a Ugandan and as an Indian.”
In Hindi and Urdu, the word firang is a historical slang term for “foreigner” or “Westerner.”
However, critics argue the usage carries a sharper edge when applied to Americans.
GOP Consultant: “It’s a Rejection of America”
Mehek Cooke, an Indian-born attorney and Republican strategist, warns that the term is far from harmless.
“It’s the word used back in India to mock outsiders, to say you don’t belong,” Cooke said.
“Using it here about your own child raised in the United States carries the same tone as calling someone a derogatory word, or worse.
“It’s flippant, divisive, and dripping with contempt for the very country that gave your family a better life.”
Cooke argued that Nair’s comments reflect deeper cultural disdain.
“When Mamdani’s mother says her son was ‘never a firang and only desi,’ it’s a rejection of America,” Cooke continued.
“It’s ungrateful, disrespectful, and frankly repulsive to live in this country since age seven, receive every freedom, education, and opportunity America offers, and still deny being American.”
“We Only Speak Hindustani at Home”
Nair expanded on her family’s upbringing during the 2013 interview, saying:
“We only speak Hindustani at home.”
She continued by describing her son as a “very chaalu fellow,” a colloquial term roughly translating to “street smart” or “savvy.”
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and moved to the United States at age 7, holds dual citizenship with Uganda and the U.S.
He became a naturalized American citizen in 2018.
Father’s Radical Academic Views Resurface
Mamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, told The New York Times earlier this year that his son’s political worldview reflects the environment he was raised in.
“He’s his own person,” the professor said.
“Now, of course, what we do as his parents is part of the environment in which he grew up, and he couldn’t help but engage with it.
“That doesn’t mean anything is reflected back on us.”
Nair disagreed, interjecting during the same interview:
“I don’t agree! Of course, the world we live in, and what we write and film and think about, is the world that Zohran has very much absorbed.”
Mahmood Mamdani’s academic record has drawn intense scrutiny online for his statements on Israel, colonialism, and the West.
He serves on the advisory board of an organization that supports boycotts and sanctions against Israel, and has repeatedly accused the Israeli government of committing “genocide.”
In July, a resurfaced clip of Mamdani emerged where he claimed Adolf Hitler was inspired by Abraham Lincoln.
The remarks that quickly went viral again this week, garnering millions of views.
“Rejecting the Label of American Is Rejecting American Values”
Cooke, the GOP consultant, said the issue is about more than identity.
“This isn’t just about identity, it’s about values,” Cooke warned.
“Rejecting the label of ‘American’ while living under the flag, enjoying the freedoms, and cashing in on the opportunities is a rejection of American values themselves: gratitude, unity, and pride in country.”
“And if you raise your child to believe he was ‘never a firang,’ never an American, what message are you sending?” she added.
“That he owes nothing to this nation?
“That he can take the benefits without any sense of belonging or loyalty?
“That mindset breeds resentment.
“And that’s exactly what we’re seeing play out in politics today.”
Nair Predicted Son’s Political Future
In the 2013 interview, Nair predicted that her son, who was already politically active in college, would eventually pursue public life.
“No, no, he should do whatever he wants to do,” Nair said.
“I don’t see it in him to make movies.
“He is very involved with current affairs, politics, and political issues.
“I think he can be engaged in the world in some way to make a difference.
“He is very, very interested in that.”
The resurfaced remarks come amid a pivotal political moment in New York.
While Mamdani continues to hold a commanding lead in the New York City mayoral race, statewide polling shows Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) narrowly edging Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul in a hypothetical 2026 gubernatorial matchup, the first time in decades that a GOP candidate has outpolled a sitting Democrat governor in the state.
The controversy surrounding Mamdani’s family remarks may further spotlight tensions between progressive candidates’ globalist rhetoric and the growing voter appetite for pro-American leadership across the state.
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