In a series of old tweets that have come to light, socialist mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani criticized Barack Obama, labeling him as “pretty damn evil.” He also questioned the former president’s liberal credentials and accused him of dishonesty.
One rediscovered tweet from June 2013 shows Mamdani asking a friend, “What’s up w/ working for the bad man aka @EdMarkey?” This was aimed at the Massachusetts Democratic senator, who was a member of the House of Representatives at the time.
“How you gonna do me like that?”
Mamdani, who was a college student at the time, linked a story bashing Markey for hawkish foreign policy.
“Hasn’t Obama shown that the lesser evil is still pretty damn evil?” Mamdani tailed.
“How to improve if [the] criteria is just ‘better than rep. crackpot?’”
Currently serving in the state Assembly, Mamdani is trailing significantly in a crowded Democratic primary, with the race primarily focused on him and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who’s leading.
Mamdani, who is now 33, also took aim at Obama in a June 2, 2013 tweet, referencing Edward Snowden who moved to Russia in 2013 after leaking classified National Security Agency documents showing the US had engaged in a massive surveillance program.
“I can’t trust quotes from @BarackObama, not since his continued lying in the face of Snowden’s #NSA revelations,” the tweet said.
Mamdani also questioned Obama and former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s progressive bona fides.
“@BarackObama, @BilldeBlasio, don’t you gotta just love what passes for progressive in the U.S.?,” he posted on Jan. 12, 2014.
A Gallup poll of past presidents from January of this year showed Obama with a staggering 96% approval rating among Democrats nationwide.
The recycled anti-Obama comments come as Mamdani has struck an alliance with the first black speaker of the City Council, Adrienne Adams.
Earlier this week, Mamdani urged supporters to donate to Adrienne Adams campaign for mayor, as part of a strategy to chip away at Cuomo’s support.
His campaign and the DSA also are executing a strategy to make inroads with “older, non-white, outer borough working class voters” — voters who likely hold Obama in high regard.
One prominent pro-Cuomo black faith leader ripped Mamdani’s criticism of Obama.
“For Zohran Mamdani to call former President Obama ‘evil’ is a disgraceful attack on the dignity and legacy of our nation’s First Black president,” said Rev. Patrick Young, pastor of First Baptist Church of Corona in East Elmhurst, Queens.
“As a leader in the faith community, I’m appalled that a candidate seeking to lead this diverse city would resort to such offensive rhetoric which divides and not unifies,” Young added.
“I believe Mr. Mamdani should apologize as well as give clarity to such inflammatory remarks immediately.”
The Mamdani campaign said digging through the candidate’s old tweets from his college years shows his rivals fear his campaign surge.
“This campaign’s grassroots momentum has our opponents so desperate that they’re looking through the tweets of a 21-year-old,” said Mamdani campaign spokesman Andrew Epstein.
“Zohran was proud to volunteer on Barack Obama’s campaign for president.
“Now he’s laser-focused on delivering a more affordable city for every New Yorker.”
