New York City’s incoming First Lady is at the center of a political storm after social media posts displaying her artistic expressions surfaced during the mayoral race.
Rama Duwaji, the wife of mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, is an artist known for using her illustrations to protest Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, following Hamas’s attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israeli civilians.
One of Duwaji’s artworks, part of an animation, depicted a stack of U.S. currency labeled “Israeli war crimes.”
This animation was shared by Mamdani himself in July 2024, accompanied by a message stating, “New York charities send over $60 million every year to fund Israeli war crimes, and that number is only growing. It’s time to bring an end to this.”
Going back to November 2020, Duwaji posted a drawing illustrating a Palestinian family on their land with an Israeli aircraft flying overhead.
The caption read: ‘Presidents come and go, but American imperialism never changes. Thinking of the Palestinians, who suffer no matter who’s in office.’
In a more recent post, she sparked conversation by overlaying four broken heart emojis on a photo of Palestinian social media personality Saleh Al-Jafarawi, also known as Mr. FAFO.
Last month, Al-Jafarawi, 28, was killed by an anti-Hamas militia that has reportedly been given weapons by Israel. Videos circulating on social media appear to show Al-Jafarawi celebrating the October 7 attacks.
Rama Duwaji, wife of mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, has been against Israel’s war in Gaza since it began
She often reveals her political stances through drawings she posts to social media. She is an illustrator and an animator who graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts
In this drawing, Duwaji laments American imperialism and says that Palestinians are oppressed no matter who is in the White House
In this illustration, part of an animation, Duwaji depicts a giant stack of US bills labeled Israeli war crimes. Mamdani posted this, claiming that New York charities fund Israel’s war effort
She recently posted broken heart emojis on top of a picture of the now-dead Palestinian social media influencer Saleh Al-Jafarawi. Videos circulating on social media appear to show Al-Jafarawi celebrating the October 7 attacks
Duwaji, who identifies as Syrian but was born in Houston, will officially become the First Lady of New York City on January 1, 2026, when Mamdani is sworn in.
The Dubai-raised artist took the stage alongside her husband at Brooklyn’s Paramount Theater on Tuesday evening.
Dressed in an elegant black lace ensemble and with a blunt, choppy fringe that tips its hat to Breakfast at Tiffany’s star Audrey Hepburn, she offered a polished wave, with immaculate dark-painted talons, to supporters as the results became clear.
She has gained over one million followers on Instagram, her fans captivated by her aloof, unbothered look.
The couple’s love story began via one of the world’s biggest dating apps, with the pair matching profiles on Hinge back in 2021, when Duwaji was just 24 and Mamdani a 29-year-old with already blossoming political ambitions.
Mamdani told The Bulwark podcast that those looking for love shouldn’t dismiss online dating methods, saying: ‘I met my wife on Hinge so there is still hope on those dating apps!’
They announced their engagement in October last year and, on a chilly February day in New York earlier this year, said ‘I do’ at City Hall, Lower Manhattan’s historic 19th century building that Mamdani can now also call his office.
There were also nuptials overseas, with an opulent engagement party and Nikkah ceremony, an Islamic wedding, taking place in Dubai in December 2024.
Duwaji graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, studying in both Doha, Qatar and Richmond, Virginia.
After she graduated, she returned to Dubai before moving to New York City in 2021, just months before meeting her future husband.
Duwaji stands alongside Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday as he declares victory in the New York City mayoral election
Duwaji holds up a piece of ceramic art she made back in 2023
Mamdani and his wife share an intimate moment at the watch party for the Democratic primary election on June 25. The two were married at City Hall in February this year
Duwaji embraces a friend after it was clear Mamdani had won the primary
Duwaji met Mamdani back in 2021, when he had just been elected as a state assemblyman in Queens. Four years later, he has ascended to the mayoralty of the biggest city in America
When they met, Mamdani had recently been elected as a state assemblyman representing the 36th district, which encompasses parts of Queens neighborhoods Astoria and Long Island City.
Mamdani since took the city by storm, announcing his candidacy for mayor on October 23, 2024.
He entered the race with fewer than one percent of voters supporting him, and with the impending knowledge that former Governor Andrew Cuomo was likely to announce a run.
Cuomo did just that on March 1, 2025, and enjoyed three months of double digit polling leads.
Still, Mamdani chipped away little by little as he made inroads with young voters who were drawn to how comfortable he appeared in flashy social media videos.
His relentless focus on making the city affordable also won him a legion of rabid followers.
He pledged to freeze rent costs for stabilized tenants, make city buses fare free and open city-run grocery stores offering cheaper prices. These promises earned him scorn by Republicans and moderate Democrats alike.
By the time the Democratic primary rolled around on June 24, the race was tight, but most pollsters expected Cuomo to come out on top on the first few rounds of the ranked choice ballots.
Instead, Mamdani bested Cuomo on the first round by a margin of 43 percent to 36 percent. Cuomo conceded the night of the election.
Mamdani defeated Cuomo again in the general election this week, capping off a whirlwind year for the 34-year-old.
