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Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said Tuesday that the Democratic Party should have no patience for hate speech while criticizing New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for his socialist policies and refusing to condemn the “globalize the intifada” phrase.
“I am completely confused by how people go ahead with a lot of the ideas that he’s put forth. And if you saw this weekend when he was asked to condemn ‘globalize the intifada,’ right, and he refused, which is a call for a wave of terror against Jewish people around the world, and he refused to condemn that language,” Gotthemier said during an interview on CNN.
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist candidate who just defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the NYC mayoral primary, repeatedly refused to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” during an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker on Sunday.
“As far as I’m concerned, somebody who refuses to condemn hate speech is not acceptable. And I’m looking for him to clarify that, as well as his other socialist policies. So, you know, there‘s got to be a lot of clarification before I start to warm up to the idea of him being mayor,” the Jewish lawmaker continued.
Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, during a campaign event at the NAN House of Justice in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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CNN host John Berman noted that Mamdani did say it wasn’t language he used. The NYC mayoral candidate also said he wanted to be careful not to “police speech” during the NBC interview.
“But why wouldn‘t he just outright condemn the language? Why would you not condemn antisemitic language? You saw what happened in Washington and Boulder, Colorado, and the surge of hate around the country. Why would you not condemn hate speech? You know, and that‘s not something that should be confusing,” Gottheimer pushed back.
The Democratic lawmaker said condemning hate speech shouldn’t be confusing with regard to any group, including Muslims and African Americans.
“I don‘t understand where any confusion is there. And I’m expecting him, I hope, to clarify his position. But listen, I believe the Democratic Party needs to move in the direction of common sense and reasonableness of affordability. And I think that’s where we should be going and have zero patience for any kind of hate speech,” he added.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer speaks after the Democratic gubernatorial debate at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, on Feb. 2, 2025. (AP photo/Mike Catalini) (AP)
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Other Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Hakeem Jeffries, have come out and called on Mamdani to clarify his stance on the phrase, which is interpreted as a call to violence against Jewish people.
Members of the press called out Mamdani as well, including podcast host Donny Deutsch, who said he was “outraged” on Monday that the NYC mayoral candidate wouldn’t condemn the phrase.
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“I’m outraged that we have a candidate for mayor of New York, Mr. Mamdani, that cannot walk back or cannot condemn the words ‘globalize the intifada’ and his nuance of, ‘well, it means different things for different people.’ Well, let me tell you what it means to a Jew — it means violence,” Deutsch said. “If any other group came forward and said ‘you know these words are offensive to us, it means violence, it frightens us,’ I think there would be a response. But for some reason, if Jewish people find it offensive, it’s not offensive.”