Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner in New York City's mayoral race, said Sunday evening he will discourage the use of the phrase "globalize the intifada," a marked shift after weeks of pressure from both political opponents and critics within his own party.
Mamdani had repeatedly declined to condemn the phrase during his campaign, drawing criticism from Republicans and more moderate Democrats who argued his rhetoric and policy proposals were too extreme for city leadership. The phrase is associated by critics with calls for violent action against Israel, and opponents said his earlier remarks had alarmed many voters.
On MSNBC, host and activist Al Sharpton pressed Mamdani about his past comments, recalling an earlier interview in which Mamdani said he would not police other people's speech even if he would not use the phrase himself. "But we both know words matter," Sharpton said. "Have your personal views on the phrase ‘global intifada’ changed since you’ve been running for mayor? Do you understand those that see it in a more threatening way than saying, ‘I’m just not going to police other people’s language?’"
Mamdani replied, "Yes, they have," and described listening to a range of New Yorkers, including Jewish elected officials, rabbis and community leaders. He said a particular conversation with a rabbi who recalled attacks in Israel and expressed fear that such rhetoric could inspire violence in New York helped reshape his view. "In having that conversation with her, I knew that the gap between the intent that I have heard some New Yorkers share with the use of that language... was disconnected from the impact it was having," he said. "So I have said, after having that conversation, that this is language I would discourage."
Campaign organizers have been contending with sustained scrutiny over Mamdani's past language and policy positions since he emerged as a leading contender for the Democratic nomination. He won the primary and has been considered the favorite in the mayoral contest, a rise that has drawn intense attention from national media and political figures across the spectrum.
Republicans and centrist Democrats had called for a clearer repudiation of the phrase, arguing that ambiguous statements risked alienating voters and inflaming tensions during an already polarized debate over the Israel-Palestine conflict. Mamdani acknowledged the weight of those concerns on the campaign trail, saying he recognizes that millions of New Yorkers care deeply about developments in Israel and Palestine and that he is one of them.
Mamdani framed the change as a response to direct engagement with affected communities rather than a retreat from broader policy positions. He emphasized that he would continue to hear from diverse constituencies across the city as his campaign proceeds.
The announcement is likely to reverberate in a race where language on international issues has become a test of electability and judgment. New York City, home to large Jewish and Arab communities, has seen debates about public rhetoric and its local impact intensify as national conflicts have played out in municipal politics.
Mamdani's campaign did not release a broader policy statement tied specifically to the pledge to discourage the phrase, and it remains to be seen how critics and allies will respond in the coming days. For now, the candidate's public acknowledgment of the phrase's impact and his commitment to discourage its use cap a week of heightened scrutiny that has become a defining issue in the mayoral contest.