Pelosi Calls Mamdani, El-Sayed Comments on Israel 'Wrong'

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has labeled comments made by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed concerning Israel as “wrong.” Pelosi stated on the “On Brand” podcast that these views do not reflect the positions of Democrats in Congress.

During an interview with host Donny Deutsch, Pelosi was asked how a Jewish individual could support the Democratic Party given statements by some politicians that Deutsch considered antisemitic. Deutsch specifically named Mamdani and El-Sayed, calling their comments "concerning."

“No, it’s more than concerning,” Pelosi responded. “It’s wrong. It’s wrong. And it isn’t a reflection of the Democrats in the Congress of the United States. This new person in Michigan, we’ll see if he gets elected to the Congress.

But the mayor, bless his heart, I hope he succeeds as mayor, but I don’t agree with some of the things he has said. But in terms of our people in the House of Representatives, if somebody says that, the other members disassociate themselves from it.”

Before his election as New York City mayor, Mamdani repeatedly avoided directly answering whether Israel should be a Jewish state. In a June interview with ABC News, Mamdani expressed support for Israel as a state with equal rights but declined to endorse it specifically as a Jewish state. “I think any state that privileges one religion over the other is one that I can’t tell you I support, whether it be Israel or Saudi Arabia or anywhere else,” Mamdani stated.

El-Sayed has also consistently refused to affirm Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. During a May appearance with Jewish supporters, El-Sayed said he “struggled” with the question and suggested that the concept of a Jewish state was inconsistent with liberal values espoused in the United States.

Pelosi initially suggested that no one within the Democratic Party engaged in antisemitism. “The fact is that I really do not know of anybody there on our side who is engaged in antisemitism,” she said. “That may be what it appears to be or what they’re charged to be. But if they are, it’s only a few. If there are, I think sometimes they say things that they shouldn’t and can be interpreted that way.”

Despite her criticism of Mamdani and El-Sayed, Pelosi downplayed their influence on the party's overall stance. “People represent their districts, and we have to respect that. The job description, job title is representative, but that doesn’t mean it has an impact on the consensus of the Democratic Party, and [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries has been very clear on that,” Pelosi remarked.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, commented on Pelosi’s remarks, acknowledging her historical support for the Jewish community but expressing concern over her perceived inability to recognize antisemitism among her colleagues. Menken stated, “Pelosi claims she wants for those voices to be marginalized within her party, yet she demonstrates that she has turned a deaf ear, both to antisemitic expression from her colleagues and to the rabbis anxious to set her straight on the magnitude of the problem.” He added, “If she is indeed one of our best friends, should we not be scared by that?”