NYC Mayor Mamdani Stands by Calling AIPAC Monsters

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani refused to back down. He doubled down on calling AIPAC "monsters" during a City Hall press conference on Monday. The remarks sparked sharp backlash from Jewish leaders across the country.

What Mamdani Said at the Rally

At a Brooklyn rally last week, Mamdani described "monsters" who he said include groups that fund misleading political ads against his endorsed progressive candidates. He then turned his fire directly on AIPAC. 

Mamdani said AIPAC moves "millions in dark money to accomplish a single goal, to preserve their power so that they can turn us against one another instead of our leaders turning towards the moral change we all know to be necessary." 

He also labelled AIPAC as an organisation "for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to genocide and Netanyahu's wars." 

His Defence on Monday

Mamdani spoke at City Hall without any sign of regret. He said his remarks targeted AIPAC's support for what he called an immoral status quo in Gaza, as well as the broader role of super PACs and political spending in New York's congressional races. 

Mamdani argued that AIPAC supports "a status quo for immorality" and "has fought any attempt to actually deliver safety to people, not just in Palestine, but frankly, through much of the region." 

He also cited philosopher Antonio Gramsci to explain his word choice. Mamdani said, "I was quoting Gramsci, who said that the old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters." 

He told reporters, "I used the term to describe all those who are preventing the birth of a new world," adding that his use was broad and spoke to "the untenable nature of a status quo that is quite literally starving people in this city." 

Why Gaza Figures in His Argument

Mamdani pointed to lives lost in Gaza to justify his position. His answer echoed recent warnings from UNICEF. A June 19 UN News report stated that 265 Palestinian children had been killed in Gaza since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025, averaging one child killed per day for over eight months. 

Mamdani stood by his remarks on Monday, noting the rising death toll in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect in mid-October. 

Jewish Leaders Push Back Hard

The remarks drew immediate condemnation from prominent Jewish voices. The leaders of the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee condemned Mamdani's comments. They accused him of using antisemitic tropes and warned of the danger coming from the mayor of America's largest Jewish city. 

Ted Deutch, the AJC's CEO, stated, "Mayor Mamdani, referring to fellow New Yorkers as 'monsters' is outrageous and dangerous, and the impact of your words extends far beyond politics." 

New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Jewish Democrat, also responded sharply. He wrote, "Swap 'AIPAC' for 'Jews' and it's the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books. That's not criticizing a lobby. That's laundering antisemitism from your podium as Mayor of a city with more than a million Jews."

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, head of the progressive rabbinic human rights group T'ruah, also weighed in. She wrote, "Calling AIPAC and its backers 'monsters' casts them as less than human, rather than as human beings who are one's political opponents."

Even Allies Expressed Concern

Some of Mamdani's own Jewish supporters expressed concern that the term may carry antisemitic undertones.

One Jewish supporter told reporters, "I was taken aback." 

Shulman, a member of Israelis For Peace, a New York-based progressive group that broadly backs Mamdani, called the "dark money" description a "tactical mistake." He added that in the context of rising antisemitism, "for a left-wing leader to use that phrase, and invite traditional antisemitism into this conversation in that way, was not smart."

AIPAC does not conceal its donors, which conflicts with the typical definition of "dark money" campaign finance operations

The Political Context Behind the Remarks

This controversy erupted just ahead of New York's primary elections. Mamdani made the original comments while rallying alongside Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and a slate of progressive candidates.

AIPAC has spent millions to boost pro-Israel candidates in congressional primaries this year, often by running ads that focus on domestic issues rather than foreign policy. The mayor openly campaigned against candidates backed by that spending.  

In the NY-10 race, AIPAC ties became a campaign flashpoint. A Brooklyn coffee shop publicly told Congressman Dan Goldman that they refused his purchase, suggesting his money was "probably coming from AIPAC anyways."

What This Means Going Forward

Mamdani shows no sign of softening his position. He frames his fight against AIPAC as a moral stand. His critics argue the language crosses a dangerous line. The debate now sits squarely inside one of the most watched Democratic primary cycles in New York in years.

The central question is this: where does political criticism of a lobbying group end, and where does harmful rhetoric begin? That question will follow Mamdani long after Tuesday's votes are counted.