Top executives skipped the meeting amid scrutiny of Mamdani’s socialist, anti-Semitic platform
Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani reportedly told top business leaders Tuesday evening that he stands by “the idea” behind the anti-Semitic slogan “globalize the intifada.”
In an hourlong event hosted by business group Partnership for New York City, moderator and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, the son of Holocaust survivors, confronted Mamdani over the candidate’s support for “globalize the intifada,” a chant at anti-Israel protests that calls for violence against Jews worldwide. Mamdani responded that, while he will discourage protesters from using the slogan, he stands by “the idea” that the anti-Semitic phrase represents, Wall Street Journal reported.
Many top executives boycotted the Tuesday meeting over Mamdani’s controversial stances, New York Post columnist Charles Gasparino reported. Among them were JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman, Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, and Goldman Sachs’s David Solomon.
Mamdani, the Democratic candidate following his upset primary victory over former governor Andrew Cuomo, has long defended “globalize the intifada,” which his supporters chanted as they celebrated his win. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum last month blasted Mamdani’s attempt to “sanitize” the slogan, calling it “outrageous and especially offensive to survivors.”
“Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner,” the museum noted.
In addition to defending “globalize the intifada,” the candidate has refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist and expressed support for the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. Top Democrats have denounced Mamdani’s defense of the phrase, with House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) saying the slogan is “not an acceptable phrasing” and urging Mamdani to “clarify his position on that as he moves forward.”
Mamdani on Tuesday said he has a long history of social media posts and that views can evolve or be taken out of context, urging the business leaders to not hold his old posts against him, according to the Journal. He has also drawn scrutiny for his far-left agenda, which includes government-run grocery stores, rent freezes, free bus rides, and a $30 minimum wage.
While CEOs boycotted Mamdani’s appearance on Tuesday, the socialist candidate received a warm welcome at a Democratic National Committee breakfast hosted Wednesday by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.). Several House Democrats praised Mamdani after the event and began rallying colleagues to back his mayoral bid, with Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.) posting that he’s “proud of our Democratic nominee for NYC Mayor.”
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