Far-left Dems turn on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the democratic socialist reaffirms support for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism from the Democratic Party’s left flank after reaffirming his support for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as Democrats seek to regain control of the House in November. Mamdani said on Monday, August 24, that he “continues to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader” if Democrats retake the chamber, despite growing outrage over Jeffries’ private meeting with Jared Kushner. The response has exposed tensions between Mamdani’s progressive base and the Democratic establishment at a time when the party is gearing up for a high-stakes midterm battle.

Zohran Mamdani backs Hakeem Jeffries despite Jared Kushner meeting

Mamdani’s comments came a day after The New York Times reported that Jeffries privately met with Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and an administration envoy, in New York. Their discussion reportedly covered areas of bipartisan support — like housing, immigration and the cost of living — with Kushner suggesting that Jeffries also meet White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. While Kushner holds no formal government position, he has represented the Trump administration in negotiations involving Gaza, Ukraine and Iran. The meeting quickly became a flashpoint, with Jeffries catching flak from progressives who have criticized Democratic leaders for engaging with Trump allies.

Left-wing figures take aim at Zohran Mamdani

Kshama Sawant, a socialist organizer and former Seattle city council member, accused Mamdani of supporting “genocidal Hakeem Jeffries for speaker” despite the Kushner meeting. “The Democratic Party simply offers NO WAY FORWARD for our movements to win victories for working people, defeat Trump and the right wing, and end the genocide and occupation. The DSA leadership’s project of trying to launder the Democratic Party’s reputation and build up their own track record of betrayals is a total dead end,” she wrote.

Journalist Mehdi Hasan also broke with Mamdani, writing, “There are very few issues I disagree with Mamdani on but this is definitely one of them.” He also argued that Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are “not cut out for this fascist second-term Trump era.”

New York City Council Member Chi Ossé questioned the party’s double standard, wondering why progressives are often criticized by Democratic leadership while the party establishment works with someone like Kushner.

Briahna Joy Gray wrote in a post directed at Mamdani’s defenders, “Zohran has offered unqualified support for Jeffries as speaker. Also a collaborator?”

The Hakeem Jeffries-Zohran Mamdani relationship

Mamdani’s relationship with Jeffries had a bit of a rocky start when they first met during the lead-up to New York City’s 2025 mayoral election. After defeating Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, Mamdani privately met Jeffries and reportedly sought his endorsement, but Jeffries initially offered only another conversation. Their meeting was described by Jeffries’ office as “constructive, candid and community-centered.” They discussed public safety, antisemitism and gentrification, while Jeffries acknowledged disagreements over Mamdani’s earlier defense of the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani later walked back that position.

Jeffries eventually endorsed Mamdani in late October 2025, shortly before early voting began, praising him for “relentlessly focus[ing] on addressing the affordability crisis” while acknowledging “areas of principled disagreement.” Mamdani responded that he looked forward to “building a Democratic Party relentlessly committed to our affordability agenda.”

However, it has been reported that their alliance has not completely eliminated tensions. After candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America won several New York congressional primaries this summer, Jeffries said he and Mamdani “agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements.”

‘Outsider-insider tension’ in the Democratic Party

Basil Smikle, a Democratic strategist and Columbia University professor, described the current divide within the Democratic Party as “outsider-insider tension.” In a statement to Newsweek, he said, “A lot of Mamdani supporters view Jeffries and other elected officials as part of the establishment that they’ve been running against for years.”

However, Smikle also pointed out that Mamdani’s camp appears to be “treading a little more carefully” around Jeffries “because of the stakes” surrounding the upcoming midterms. “You’ve got Jeffries who could be the first African American speaker in the House and is deeply engaged in trying to get the House to flip back to Democratic control. So any political attacks on him just weaken his hand as he tries to push the Democrats back in power,” he said.