Dave Rubin this week published a direct-message clip that he says came from New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and the footage is as troubling as it is revealing. In the short clip Rubin shared, Mamdani appears to openly quote and praise figures associated with Marxist and Pan-Africanist movements — even invoking names like Thomas Sankara — a detail that ought to set off alarm bells for any New Yorker who values order and prosperity.
For those who don’t remember history class fondly, Thomas Sankara was the revolutionary leader of Burkina Faso who seized power in a coup and ruled as a radical leftist before being assassinated; he is lionized in some circles as an icon of anti-imperialism. Quoting or celebrating figures of that stripe isn’t harmless academic talk — it signals a worldview that embraces revolutionary solutions over constitutional order and incremental reform, and that worldview has consequences for law-abiding citizens.
Mamdani is no fringe celebrity; he’s the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor who built his brand on democratic socialism and viral social media stunts. While he’s tried to pivot on law enforcement — even appearing on Fox to apologize to rank-and-file NYPD officers this month — that apology doesn’t erase a long record of radical rhetoric and policy prescriptions that would burden taxpayers and weaken public safety.
Conservative voters and independents should pay attention to the substance behind the soundbites. Mamdani’s platform features rent freezes, expansive social programs, and other heavy-handed interventions that sound generous until you remember the economic math — money has to come from somewhere, and radical redistribution crushes job creators and incentivizes flight from the city. Quoting violent or coup-minded revolutionaries while promising to run the nation’s largest city should be deeply disqualifying.
We’re living in an era when slick social media clips can paper over real ideology, and too many in the mainstream media treat those clips like harmless theater. That’s why conservative outlets and watchdogs are right to push back hard when a mayoral front-runner seems to flirt with dangerous doctrines instead of offering commonsense solutions for crime, homelessness, and economic stagnation. New Yorkers deserve mayors who praise the police and small business owners, not intellectual romanticizing of revolution.
This isn’t just about rhetoric; it’s about the precedent set when leaders valorize people who seized power by force. If elected officials normalize talk of coups and revolutionary figures, they normalize instability — and cities rot under instability. Voters should judge candidates not just by clever messaging but by the company they keep and the thinkers they lift up, especially when those thinkers have histories of violence or authoritarian methods.
Mamdani’s on-camera attempts to soothe voters — addressing President Trump directly on television and offering verbal apologies to officers — are clearly tactical moves aimed at broadening his appeal. But strategy cannot hide ideology; a pattern of past tweets, provocative statements, and now apparent DM worship of radical figures reveal the core instincts of a candidate who may be far to the left of what many New Yorkers want. The choice in this race is simple: sound governing or ideological experiments that risk the city’s safety and prosperity.
Patriots who love New York should be clear-eyed: telegenic socialists who quote coup leaders are not the fixers this city needs. We should demand leaders who put the safety of our neighborhoods first, respect the rule of law, protect small businesses, and stop romanticizing revolution. On Election Day, hardworking New Yorkers should remember which candidates stand with them and which ones flirt with dangerous ideas that have never produced long-term prosperity or security.
