New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, one of the top elected leaders of the Democratic Socialists of America, said he does not support erasing U.S. borders, replacing the Supreme Court or eliminating the Senate, which top the DSA’s wish list.
Mr. Mamdani said Democrats, who have just won control of Congress, must reject some DSA policy platforms and center their agenda on lowering the cost of living and abolishing Immigration Customs and Enforcement, which is in charge of removing illegal immigrants.
“The thing that has been offered as a part of a litany of policy platforms that I would reject is, after [the midterm elections] why would we abolish the Senate?” Mr. Mamdani said on “Fox News Sunday.” “And I think we’re seeing that Americans across this country are facing a cost of living crisis … and that Americans are tired of waiting.”
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Mr. Mamdani said he does not support getting rid of jails or erasing the U.S. borders to allow illegal immigrants to flood the United States. Both are part of the DSA platform.
Instead, he said he backs “policies that would transform peoples’ lives,” that helped Democrats win swing seats in their enormous victory on Tuesday.
The list of priorities includes free childcare, ending the war against Iran, providing affordable housing and placing a moratorium on data centers, Mr. Mamdani said.
Six DSA-backed Democrats won House seats in addition to other DSA-aligned victories, including Democrat Troy Jackson’s win in Maine’s Senate election.
“We have to take it as the moment where we earned the trust of so many Americans across this country, and now it’s up to us to sustain that trust,” Mr. Mamdani said. “And you can only sustain it through action, and that’s why it’s important that what comes next is an agenda of urgency, an agenda of action, and an agenda that recognizes affordability.”
The DSA platform calls for replacing the Supreme Court and the presidency with an executive branch chosen by a newly formed Congress that would eliminate the Senate.
Mr. Mamdani communicates regularly with President Trump in person and on the phone about issues concerning New York City. He said their relationship helped end ICE enforcement in the city and ease regulations to build affordable housing.
“I would describe it as a productive relationship,” Mr. Mamdani said.
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