Hakeem Jeffries says NYC hopeful Mamdani needs to 'clarify' his position on 'globalize the intifada'
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By Lindsay Kornick
Published June 30, 2025
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said on Sunday that Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani will need to "clarify his position" on the phrase "globalize the intifada" if he wants to be a successful New York City mayor.
On ABC's "This Week," Jeffries was asked about Mamdani's upset victory in the Democratic primary as well as concerns about his connections to anti-Israel activism.
Host Jonathan Karl brought up as an example how Mamdani has defended the use of the phrase "globalize intifada" despite it having antisemitic undertones.
COLBERT GRILLS DEM SOCIALIST NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI ON ISRAEL, ANTISEMITISM
"Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrase," Jeffries replied. "He's going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward."
He continued, "With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development."
Jeffries added that regardless of who the mayor ends up being, they will need to have a "clear plan and commitment" to address the rise in antisemitic hate as well as other city concerns such as housing.
Jeffries has not yet endorsed Mamdani as New York City mayor, though he revealed during the interview that he had spoken to him on Wednesday to congratulate his campaign. He said that his non-endorsement came simply because they "don't really know each other well" and that they have agreed to sit down for a talk soon.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani's campaign for comment.
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND URGES ZOHRAN MAMDANI TO DENOUNCE 'GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA' RHETORIC
Mamdani continued to dodge questions about whether he condemned the phrase "globalize the intifada" during his interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" on the same day.
"My concern is, to start to walk down the line of language and making clear what language I believe is permissible or impermissible, takes me into a place similar to that of the president, who is looking to do those very kinds of things, putting people in jail for writing an op-ed, putting them in jail for protesting. Ultimately, it is not language that I use. It is language I understand there are concerns about, and what I will do is showcase my vision for the city through my words and my actions," Mamdani said.
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