Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Criticizes Donald Trump at Rally for Zohran Mamdani
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — who is rumored to be considering a 2028 presidential run — took aim at former President Donald Trump during a rally held in support of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Speaking passionately to the crowd, Ocasio-Cortez said Mamdani’s campaign carried meaning beyond local politics.
“The election of Zohran is just as important as our cause today,” she declared. “Child care, public transit, housing, and our rights here in New York City — this is the heart and the symbol of everything that’s possible in America.”
She continued, promising that the upcoming election would send a powerful message far beyond city limits.
“On November 4, we will show the world, we will show this nation, and we will make it clear to President Donald Trump that his brand of authoritarianism has no place here.”
Addressing both the crowd and Trump directly, Ocasio-Cortez added:
“This is New York City. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. We are not the exception — we are the rule. We are the standard. We are acceptance, and we set the bar for America. I’m speaking to you, Donald Trump.”
She emphasized that Trump was closely watching this race because it represented something he feared most: unity among ordinary Americans.
“This is why Donald Trump is paying attention,” she said. “Working-class people — Black and white, Latino, Asian, gay, straight — are coming together to take on the oligarchy that is Trump’s worst nightmare.”
Trump’s Response and Mamdani’s Controversial Support Network
Tensions between Trump and Mamdani have escalated throughout the campaign. Last month, Trump warned that if Mamdani were elected, “he will have problems with Washington like no mayor in the history of our once-great city.”
He also criticized Mamdani on Truth Social, calling him “a self-proclaimed New York City Communist” and claiming his election “would be one of the best things to ever happen to the Republican Party.”
“Remember,” Trump wrote, “he needs money from me, as President, to fulfill all of his fake communist promises. He won’t get any — so what’s the point of voting for him?”
A report published Monday outlines how Mamdani rose from relative obscurity to become a central figure in America’s left-wing socialist movement. According to Fox News, his rise has been bolstered by millions of dollars in donations from groups associated with billionaire George Soros and activist Linda Sarsour.
The network of organizations backing Mamdani includes more than 100 Muslim and socialist groups, along with 76 Democratic Party affiliates, labor unions, and activist coalitions. Two major players — Sarsour’s MPower organizations and the Emgage coalition — have been particularly influential.
Tax filings show that MPower and Emgage received nearly $2.5 million in recent years from Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
An Open Society spokesperson responded to Fox News Digital, saying:
“We fund a range of civil society organizations that work to deepen democratic participation, counter discrimination — including against Muslim Americans — and promote human rights. The grants mentioned all predate the mayoral race, and we are a nonpartisan organization that does not fund political candidates or their campaigns.”
This coalition, which includes roughly 30 ethnic and faith-based groups such as CAIR Action (the political arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations), the Islamic Circle of North America, and the Yemeni American Merchants Association, has coordinated campaign outreach for Mamdani through fundraising, canvassing, and voter mobilization.
Together, these groups have an estimated combined annual revenue of $24 million and have contributed to Mamdani’s campaign through endorsements, donations, and social media campaigns aimed at energizing voters across the city.