Mamdani, the fraud abroad

On Monday night, New York City golden boy Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, tweeted, after the terrifying gun attack on Park Avenue, “I’m heartbroken to learn of the horrific shooting in midtown and I am holding the victims, their families, and the [New York Police Department] officer in critical condition in my thoughts. Grateful for all of our first responders on the ground.” He also sent special condolences to the families of Didarul Islam, the Bangladeshi immigrant and NYPD officer who died in the attack.

But there’s a reason Mamdani was holding NYC in his thoughts and not giving a press conference on the ground: He’s at his family’s luxury compound in Uganda, where he’s summering after getting married there a couple of weeks ago. You can’t fault him for getting married, or even for getting married in Uganda, where his father is from. But he’s running for mayor of New York City right now! I know that his roster of opponents is almost a literal clown car. Still, Mamdani needs to be in New York, dealing with New York problems.

The irony is too delicious. An avowedly socialist mayoral candidate, the presumptive heir to Gracie Mansion, is on a luxury vacation – in Africa – when a crazed gunman attacks the headquarters of an investment and financial-management company and the National Football League. Perhaps Mamdani was eating cake when he heard about the attack. But this is pretty on-brand for contemporary Democrats.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also happened to be in Africa, on a ding-dong diplomatic mission, when the city’s fires broke out. She could have canceled the trip because the warning signs were there, but she didn’t. Mamdani’s “holding thoughts” also brings to mind other great moments of clueless rich Democrats in action, such as Nancy Pelosi’s Covid haircut or Gavin Newsom’s dinner at the French Laundry. I almost needed to be defibrillated when our erstwhile mayor in Austin, Steve Adler, a multimillionaire real-estate developer, sent out a Covid stay-home order while he was celebrating his daughter’s wedding in Cabo San Lucas, which he had reached via private jet.

This raised-pinky behavior in times of crisis is hardly exclusive to Democrats. Remember Ted Cruz bopping off to Mexico as the Texas power grid went down during a deep freeze? He shrugged his shoulders, said, “What me, worry?” and donned a little extra sunscreen. But Cruz’s nonchalance aside, Democrats acting like rich jerks in the face of disaster almost feels like a brand.

Anyone who thinks that Democrats, any Democrats, other than maybe John Fetterman, stand for regular people isn’t paying attention or is living in fantasyland. It’s a party of consultants, nonprofit scam artists, overpaid defense attorneys, artsy trust funders, and trust-fund TikTok grifters like the ones who pushed Mamdani over the top.

In many ways, Mamdani is the perfect representation of the modern Democratic Party. He espouses far-left populist rhetoric while enjoying a monsoon wedding under the watchful eyes of an army of paid security guards. His hustle makes the Black Lives Matter mansion buyers look positively amateur. It’s utter fraudulence, a total snow job, only without the snow because it’s a balmy 80 degrees over there.

Yes, Donald Trump was in Scotland when the shootings happened, and he also played some golf. But he negotiated a historic trade agreement with the European Union in the process and apparently also stopped a war in Southeast Asia. If something bad happens stateside, it’s not uncommon for Trump to be at his own estate, Mar-A-Lago. But that estate is in Florida. If a crisis breaks, Trump can be on the ground in the White House in under two hours.

Mamdani, on the other hand, is in Africa. He may only return when Gotham deems it’s time to place a crown upon his head. No matter how much tragedy occurs at home, it’s gonna take a lot to drag him away from there.