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Progressive Jewish Group Hits Back After Trump Calls Jews Voting for Mamdani ‘Stupid’
"Trump and his allies claim to defend Jews, yet ignore antisemitism in their own ranks," Jamie Beran of Bend the Arc told Common Dreams.
Nov 04, 2025
President Donald Trump used one of his final messages before New York's mayoral election on Tuesday to insult the many Jewish supporters expected to turn out in favor of the Democratic nominee, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
“Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self-professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social just hours after polls opened.
It was one final attempt to smear the assemblyman, who pre-election polls showed leading comfortably, as antisemitic over his criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights, which has revealed stark divisions in opinion among American Jews, with New York being no exception.
Courting Trump's support—which he earned Monday along with that of Elon Musk and senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller—former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has leaned into the most vulgar of Islamophobic attacks against Mamdani over the home stretch of the campaign, referring to him as a "terrorist sympathizer" and suggesting he'd support a second 9/11.
But in the face of these attacks, Mamdani's support among Jewish voters has remained strong. In July, with the field still fractured, he outright led among Jewish voters. And though Cuomo has bolstered his Jewish support since the dropout of incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, polls have varied widely, with some showing Mamdani and Cuomo virtually tied among Jewish voters and others showing Cuomo with a commanding lead.
Mamdani has nevertheless managed to make tremendous inroads with Jewish leaders, most recently the influential Orthodox rabbi, Moshe Indig, who endorsed Mamdani at a meeting in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Sunday.
He had previously earned the support of the Brooklyn native Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and local leaders, including a former mayoral contender for this cycle, Comptroller Brad Lander, and Ruth Messinger, a former Manhattan borough president and Democratic nominee for mayor in 1997.
He has also received the endorsement of several Jewish organizations, including the pro-Palestinian Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action, the New York-based Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), and Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish organization that deals primarily with domestic matters.
Following his latest insult to Mamdani, Jamie Beran, the CEO of Bend the Arc, said that “Trump is showing once again that he doesn’t care about Jewish people. He only uses us when it’s convenient for him, with no regard to the damage he does to the Jewish community or the danger he puts us in. Both Trump and disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo use smokescreen antisemitism to manipulate Jewish fears for their personal gain."
Trump's attack on Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, is hardly his first. In recent days, the president has slurred the assemblyman as a "communist lunatic" and indicated he'd cut off federal funding from New York if he wins the election. With support from Republican members of Congress, he's also threatened to strip Mamdani's US citizenship and have him deported from the country if he attempts to interfere with deployments of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to carry out mass deportations.
But although Trump has often invoked "antisemitism" to justify his efforts to punish pro-Palestine speech, he's long degraded Jewish people who vote in ways he disagrees with. During the 2024 election, he ranted that “any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion"—an insult to the 79% of Jewish voters who voted for his opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris. Before that, he'd repeatedly referred to Jewish Americans who do not vote for him as "disloyal" to Israel, a country in which they do not live.
In recent weeks, the Republican Party has been dogged by several scandals related to antisemitism. Last month, a leaked group chat of Young Republican operatives—including several who worked for the New York GOP—was revealed by Politico to be full of praise for Adolf Hitler and jokes about gas chambers. Shortly after, Trump's pick for the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, had his nomination tanked after it was revealed that he'd described himself as having a "Nazi streak."
And over the past week, the Heritage Foundation—the influential right-wing think tank behind Trump's Project 2025 agenda—has dealt with discord in its own ranks after its leader, Kevin Roberts, stridently defended right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson's friendly interview with self-described fascist and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
"The antisemitism smears against Zohran Mamdani increasingly fall flat because people are learning to see through smokescreen antisemitism," Beran told Common Dreams. "That is, how bad actors who have never joined our work, or any work, to actually end antisemitism, instead only use antisemitism to promote themselves and their agendas—which harm Jews, our loved ones, and our neighbors. Trump and his allies claim to defend Jews, yet ignore antisemitism in their own ranks."
"Jewish leaders who actually want to end antisemitism know that leaders like Zohran understand that a strong democracy keeps Jews—and all of us—safest," she continued. "Jews exist across many identities, from immigrants, to trans people, from Black and brown people, to those with disabilities who are struggling to afford life in the city. And actually trying to end antisemitism and all bigotry requires all of us.”
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Please Note: Zohran Mamdani’s Proposals Are Surprisingly Affordable
It would be nice if all revolutions came this cheap.
Nov 04, 2025
Here’s something for New York City residents to consider as they vote for Mayor, and for observers outside New York to consider as they watch the vote count: for the most part, Zohran Mamdani’s plans for the city are surprisingly affordable. Despite the frantic tone of mainstream media coverage (and the revolutionary overtones of the phrase “democratic socialist”) most of Mamdani’s agenda could be accomplished at minimal cost to the city. The only exception is his plan for free universal childcare—whose costs may have been overstated by his own campaign.
Grocery Store Pilot Program
Mamdani has proposed opening five city-owned grocery stores in the city, at a cost of $60 million. These stores would use city-owned property, which means they wouldn’t have to pay rent, and would sell the food at operating cost without making a profit.
Would it work? Military commissaries are successful. So is Costco, which operates a trimmed-down, “bare bones” store model. Cities have already opened public grocery stores, although their problems and needs differ from those of a city like New York.
Something needs to be done. The city has recognized that there is a grocery store shortage, and city residents pay a higher percentage of their income for food than the typical American. The corporate takeover of supermarkets has jacked up prices for everyone, and that problem is even more acute in places like New York City.
Are city-run grocery stores the solution? Mamdani’s plan is a pilot program, which means it’s an experiment. It seems like a useful one. In the worst-case scenario, tens of thousands of city residents will have affordable groceries while the pilot is underway. For many of them, it will be the first time in years. And if it works, it could change life for millions of New Yorkers.
As for cost, $60 million is a tiny fraction of the city’s budget. Furthermore, New Yorkers—like the rest of us—are already paying an “invisible tax” on food, as consolidation and corporatization of the grocery business increases prices for everyone.
“Free, fast bus service”
First, it’s important to recognize that 48 percent of the city’s bus riders board without paying their fares, according to the Transit Authority. Or, to put that another way: the city’s bus system is already half “free.” We’re just talking about the other half.
Some opponents have argued that free buses will attract “undesirable” elements. The most generous interpretation of that iffy phrase means “poorer or more criminally inclined types.” But they’re the ones riding the buses for free right now! They’re also disproportionately represented among today’s passengers, since law-abiding people who can’t afford the fare are forced to walk.
As for expense, the New York Times estimates that it would cost $600 million in lost fares to make the buses free. The Times also argues that the cost could rise to $800 million in lost fares if more people choose to ride the free buses. But that logic is flawed. Since those new passengers wouldn’t have been there unless the ride was free, no revenue has been lost. (If ridership increases for other reasons there would be lost revenue, but the direct cost of operating the buses would remain essentially unchanged.)
$600 million is a large number to most of us, of course. But it’s roughly one-half of one percent of New York City’s 2026 budget, for something that makes life more affordable for millions of New York City residents. And the increased ridership will make the “fast” part more popular, laying the political groundwork for more dedicated bus lanes.
Rent Freeze
Mamdani is proposing a freeze on rents, which would apply to roughly 30 percent of the city’s rental units. That would not cost the city anything, although a case could be made that it could reduce high-end spending in the city. That’s highly speculative, however.
What we do know is that cash-strapped lower- and middle-income New Yorkers would have more money to spend for the necessities of life—and maybe even a small pleasure or two. That will provide an immediate boost to the city’s economy.
Free Universal Childcare
This is the expensive part of the program. The Mamdani campaign estimates that the free childcare program will cost $6 billion. Another group, the Fiscal Policy Institute, estimates that it would cost a much lower $2.5 billion. Either way, however, there’s no denying that it’s a lot of money.
New Mexico recently passed a highly popular referendum that will provide free and universal childcare to the state’s residents, but that state had a ready-made revenue stream from the royalties fossil-fuel companies pay the state for drilling on state land.
New York, of course, must look elsewhere. There’s no space here to review Mamdani’s revenue proposal in detail but it would cover the cost of the childcare program if passed, with another $4 billion left over. As many observers have pointed out, any increase to the state tax would have to be passed in Albany.
It’s possible that the state legislature will pass the tax hike, but there are ways to handle the shortfall even if it doesn’t. Mamdani’s plan also raises $4 billion from a city tax increase on annual income over $1 million (which, if passed, would still leave most of those affected paying less than they did before Trump’s tax cut). It would also raise approximately $1 billion (estimated) from procurement reform and improved collections. That’s $5 billion, which is less than the Mamdani team estimates its childcare plan would cost but double the Fiscal Policy Institute’s estimate.
If the higher estimate is correct, there are a number of intermediate steps that could be taken until full funding became available. They could begin with a needs-based program, for example, or they could limit the age range the plan covers.
The bottom line? Mamdani’s plans are surprisingly affordable. Every revolution should come this cheap.
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Cuomo Appears to Hang Up on Interview After Being Asked About Trump Endorsement
Earlier on Monday, rival Zohran Mamdani sarcastically congratulated Cuomo for receiving a backhanded endorsement from the president.
Nov 03, 2025
Independent New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo does not appear to want President Donald Trump's endorsement.
During a Monday interview flagged by MeidasTouch, Cuomo was asked by WQHT morning show host Ebro Darden about Trump giving the former New York governor a backhanded endorsement over his top rival, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
"Your boy was just on '60 Minutes,' Cuomo, saying you're his guy," Darden informed Cuomo.
"No," Cuomo responded.
Darden, however, pressed the issue.
"Trump said you're his candidate!" he said. "If he had to pick a bad Democrat or a... communist, he's picking you!"
There were then several seconds of silence after this before Darden's co-host, Peter Rosenberg, concluded that he had left the interview.
Co-host Laura Stylez lamented that Cuomo never answered Darden's question about the Trump endorsement.
"I really wanted to hear that answer!" she said.
Rosenberg then said that he heard a "click" on Cuomo's end, which indicated that he had apparently ended the call.
"Wow!" exclaimed Stylez. "OK!"
"Oh well!" said Darden.
Ebro: Your boy was just on 60 Minutes, Cuomo, saying that you're his guy!
Cuomo: No.
Ebro: Trump said you're his candidate.
Cuomo: *ends call* pic.twitter.com/GuwgIId5hU
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) November 3, 2025
During an interview that aired Sunday on CBS News' "60 Minutes," Trump said that he was "not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other," before adding that he would nonetheless prefer him to Mamdani.
Mamdani, a Democratic state Assembly member who has represented District 36 since 2021, immediately pounced on Trump’s remarks and sarcastically congratulated his rival for winning the endorsement of a Republican president who is deeply unpopular in New York City.
“Congratulations, Andrew Cuomo!” he wrote in a social media post. “I know how hard you worked for this.”
A leaked audio recording from a Cuomo fundraiser in the Hamptons in August included comments from the former governor about help he expected to receive from Trump as he ran as an independent in the mayoral race, following his loss to Mamdani in the Democratic primary. Cuomo and Trump have reportedly spoken about the race, which will be decided at the ballot box on Tuesday.
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