He is 34 years old with very little political experience, but also an undeniable charisma that has even won over Donald Trump. Impeccable oratory skills and mastery of messaging and audiovisual narrative in the era of social media have made Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York, one of the stars of international progressivism. The next generation after figures like Lula Da Silva or Pedro Sánchez, with more strength and projection than recent iconic figures like the Finnish Sanna Marin or the New Zealander Jacinda Ardern.
This week Mamdani is one of the prominent and unexpected figures at the United Nations General Assembly, without even setting foot in it. With over 140 heads of state and government, princes, and ministers in the city, efforts are not spared on the left to secure a meeting, a photo, or a hug with the man of the moment. Mamdani has become in a few months the most visible and recognizable face of the new international progressivism. Beyond the five Boroughs of New York, his name is already synonymous with a young, combative left connected to the material concerns of a generation overwhelmed by housing prices, the cost of living, and inequality. Highly ideologized, with a strong identity component as well as significant coherence issues in detail, especially in international politics. But still growing.
When he won the municipal elections of the largest city in the US less than a year ago, analysts considered him a 'black swan', an anomaly or a whim only possible among the wealthy bourgeoisie of the East Coast. Since then, however, candidates from the Democratic Socialists of America, a minority and residual force, have won primaries and elections across the country and are carving out a new space. "He is a rock-star and the line to see him is endless," points out a diplomatic source. "He is still in his honeymoon phase, without wear and tear, riding high in the polls. It is inevitable that at some point he will face challenges, but we are dealing with a political animal with much development ahead," says a European politician who has interacted with him these days.
Part of his appeal lies precisely in the combination of politics and cultural identity. Mamdani is focusing his mandate on management, effective public policies, quick solutions. Addressing very specific concerns of residents, from food and housing to potholes and broken streetlights. With a direct, fresh language, a strong digital presence, and communication capable of turning complex debates into easily recognizable messages. "In the city of New York, certain words or phrases have taken on ideological connotations. Quality of life has become a concern of the right. Efficiency, as well as the fight against fraud and waste, has become a concern of the right," he said on Monday at a Mayors' Summit. And that, he explained, leads to defeatism and defeat.
Shortly after, he met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Donald Trump himself, and had breakfast yesterday with Pedro Sánchez, the Portuguese Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and the Prime Minister of Barbados. In Berlin, the leader of Die Linke Elif Eralp acknowledged that Mamdani had been an important inspiration for their successful electoral campaign last week. Spanish Vice President Yolanda Díaz visited him in July after urging Europeans to "do a Mamdani," meaning "a democratic alliance that is timely, where we all come together and share global agendas (...) We, plus all the European progressive forces, plus the North American, plus the African... Either we share a common minimum program or we will not succeed," she said at an event in Lisbon.
The mayor's positions naturally generate strong controversies and criticisms. Socialism remains almost a taboo topic in much of the US, as does support for Palestine in politics. He is the friendly face of a new wave of politicians, but many others have explosive statements, indefensible comments, a past of activism incompatible with American politics even in the era of Trump. These days, for example, the mayor has called for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu when he comes to the UN, and the Israeli government has responded that he should be the one in prison. But it is this ability to spark conversation, enthusiasm, and rejection that has revitalized progressivism, the most powerful force within the Democratic Party.
Trump, who was with him on Monday at Gracie House, has a surprising relationship with him, a bromance according to the media. They correspond, meet, and although they defend opposing worldviews, they get along. This is especially problematic for Republicans, as their party's agenda for the November elections is currently based on the slogan: "common sense versus communism." But it is difficult to scare people with the push of the Democratic Socialists of America while smiling and joking in public with their most emblematic figure.
Son of a filmmaker and an academic, Mamdani is African of Indian descent, Shia Muslim, pro-Palestinian, a US citizen only since 2018, and before entering politics, he tried to make a living as a rapper. Before becoming mayor (the youngest in New York since 1892 and the first Muslim 25 years after 9/11), he was a State Assembly legislator for the Queens district in New York and defines himself as a democratic socialist, with the explicit support of established figures like Senator Bernie Sanders or emerging ones like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is currently considering running for a Senate seat in 2028 or seeking the presidency of the country.
The socialist campaign focused on promises such as free public transportation on local buses, publicly owned grocery stores, and a freeze on rents (protected), all financed by tax increases on large corporations and higher incomes. And it works. "For me, quality of life means potholes, speed bumps, a tree on your block. If politics cannot work in the neighborhood where you live, why trust that it will work anywhere else in the city? The smallest concerns are often the most important because that's where the first blocks of trust and faith with a voter can be built, faith that this government could somehow be a little different from those that came before. That's why childcare services or paving 1,000 kilometers of roads. If in the face of an example of social disorder or inefficiency the left refuses to explain why it happened or how they will fix it, then the right will point fingers," he concluded.
The global left has some classic references, others with limited reach, but it lacks truly iconic figures. Someone like Obama, better with words than actions, but capable of inspiring, activating, and bringing to the polls those who are disenchanted. Mamdani, for now, is just an American mayor. But one capable of moving a room full of Spaniards talking about García Lorca, Córdoba, or Real Oviedo.