Bill Maher pushed back hard on Rep. Ro Khanna’s praise for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying Mamdani “pals around with terrorists” and reviving scrutiny tied to Mamdani’s meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj. The remarks sparked a fresh clash between politi
Bill Maher didn’t sound impressed when Rep. Ro Khanna tried to lift up New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
During an appearance on The Real Time with Bill Maher. the host cut right to the point. asking Khanna whether he considered Mamdani “a great one.” Khanna responded by pointing to a “Knicks speech. ” saying. “I do. I mean. did you see his Knicks speech?” Mamdani. Khanna argued. had offered words meant to build unity between political opponents.
Maher, though, wasn’t buying it. “Who gives a s**t about the Knicks? He’s the mayor of New York,” he said, refusing to let the conversation stay focused on sports-language politeness.
Then Maher shifted to what he called the mayor’s associations. “Well, it doesn’t make me forget that his wife loved [the] Oct. 7 attack on Israel and that he pals around with terrorists,” he said.
Maher referenced a separate controversy involving Rama Duwaji, who reportedly liked a February 2024 Instagram post from a pro-Palestinian account describing allegations of Hamas s*xual violence during the October 7, 2023, attacks as a hoax.
The comedian also revived another flashpoint: Mamdani’s October 2025 meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj. The Post said Mamdani posed for photographs with Wahhaj at the imam’s Bedford-Stuyvesant mosque and later shared those images on social media.
In his post. Mamdani wrote. “Today at Masjid At-Taqwa. I had the pleasure of meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj. one of the nation’s foremost Muslim leaders and a pillar of the Bed-Stuy community for nearly half a century. I was also joined by CM @dr_yusefsalaam of Harlem. A beautiful Jummah. pic.twitter.com/4kcN4CGlUk.” The post was dated October 18, 2025.
The outlet described Wahhaj as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing case. and cited assessments claiming he once urged followers to wage “jihad” in New York City and raise an “army of 10. 000 men.” It also pointed to the Justice Department’s allegation of possible connections to Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman—whose followers are linked to multiple terror plots.
That backlash didn’t stay confined to social media. The controversy reached the White House. where President Donald Trump called it “a disaster waiting to happen” and “a shame.” Trump said. “I think it’s a shame that that particular man is endorsing him and very friendly with him. You can see there’s a relationship.”.
CAIR pushed back, saying the attack was “dishonest and defamatory,” and arguing that Wahhaj never faced criminal charges in the 1993 bombing.
Back on set, Maher’s message remained the same: he dismissed Khanna’s praise and tied his rejection to Mamdani’s personal and political circles—especially the allegations and scrutiny surrounding Mamdani’s relationships.
Bill Maher Ro Khanna Zohran Mamdani Imam Siraj Wahhaj CAIR The Real Time with Bill Maher New York City mayor Rama Duwaji Trump Instagram controversy Bedford-Stuyvesant mosque