New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered a Fourth of July address Friday, reflecting on the nation's 250th anniversary and drawing a pointed contrast between American ideals and the exclusionary policies of the Trump administration. Speaking from New York City Hall, Mamdani addressed citizens and immigrants alike, emphasizing the ongoing work to fulfill the values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.
Mamdani delivered his remarks alongside 10 newly naturalized citizens, each holding miniature flags. He shared his personal journey to becoming an American citizen in 2018, stating that those who become citizens hold a "special power, the power to determine what America means."
The speech, delivered at a desk once belonging to President George Washington, did not directly name President Donald Trump but served as a clear rebuke to his administration's immigration crackdown and politics of exclusion. Mamdani highlighted immigrants as significant contributors to America's progress, a stark contrast to recent campaign speeches by Trump focusing on preserving monuments and criticizing political opponents.
Mamdani quoted Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet "Common Sense," which described the new world as an "asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty." He also addressed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, characterizing them as "masked agents terrorizing our streets" and "spiriting" undocumented New Yorkers away.
He described the approach to immigration by "the powerful" as "an arena of supremacy where only a select few are allowed freedom." Mamdani asserted that these figures promote a vision where "America becomes less the more people it welcomes" and "belongs only to those with the right accent or the right shade of skin."
The mayor reframed patriotism as an act of dissent rather than mere reverence, condemning the idea of "love it or leave it." He stated, "Patriotism has never been about pretending our nation is without flaws. Patriotriotism is every act of righteous dissent... It is precisely because we love this nation that we will not leave it." He concluded by asking, "After all, who loves America more than those who have sacrificed so much to make it free?"