Hakeem Jeffries Really Doesn’t Want To Talk About Zohran Mamdani

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has made it clear over the course of several interviews that he does not want to talk about New York City’s Democratic mayoral frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani.

Shortly after Mamdani — a self-described Democratic Socialist — bested disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) to win the Democratic primary, ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked Jeffries whether he was prepared to endorse his fellow New Yorker.

Jeffries, at the time, said that he did not know Mamdani well enough yet to throw his weight behind the campaign — and he mentioned one sticking point in particular that he believed would have to be addressed before he could do so: Mamdani’s position on Israel.

“Globalizing the Intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries said. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward. With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hesitated when pressed by @JonKarl about endorsing Democratic New York City mayor contender Zohran Mamdani.

“I have never had a substantive conversation with him. That’s the next step in terms of this process.” https://t.co/XdRBpVxN5K pic.twitter.com/hM0H4CywiC

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 29, 2025

When Jeffries appeared on ABC’s midday talk show “The View” about a week later, the hosts asked him whether he planned to join those in his party — like Mamdani — who were calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be defunded. Jeffries tiptoed around the question, saying that he believed there should be “oversight” when ICE agents were using more aggressive tactics, but he did not directly answer the question.

Hakeem Jeffries is asked if he will embrace calls from his own party to DEFUND ICE.

He doesn’t rule it out — then pivots.

The man flat out refuses to ever answer the question that is asked. pic.twitter.com/a6MVIobH4M

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 7, 2025

One day later, on MSNBC, Ari Melber asked Jeffries about Mamdani directly, wondering whether he believed the socialist’s surprise win over “establishment” Cuomo was good for the Democratic Party.

Instead of addressing whether or not Mamdani’s win was good for the party, Jeffries explained how he had “outworked” and “out-communicated” his opposition. He then pivoted to claim President Donald Trump — whose second term has seen falling gas prices and egg prices as well as rising jobs numbers and lowering inflation rates — had done nothing to address the high cost of living that most Americans were facing.

Melber immediately called him out, saying, “Respectfully, I see the pivot. You know, you’re good at this. That’s how you got this job.”

He’s at it AGAIN — Hakeem Jeffries pivots so hard from question about Mamdani that even MSNBC’s Ari Melber calls him out:

“Respectfully, I see the pivot. You know, you’re good at this. That’s how you got this job.”

😂😭 https://t.co/hlOb0NJgQl pic.twitter.com/hsN7yj0eAc

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 8, 2025

And on Wednesday morning, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer pressed Jeffries about new reports indicating that Mamdani’s allies planned to mount a primary challenge against him. Jeffries waved away the question, and attempted — as he usually does — to turn the topic to Trump.

“I have no idea what these people are talking about!” Jeffries said, clarifying that his sole focus was on pushing back against President Trump’s agenda. “We are going to continue to focus our efforts as we did on the House floor in connection with Donald Trump’s one big, ugly bill on pushing back against the extremism that has been unleashed on the American people.”

Here we go again — Hakeem Jeffries flips out when asked about Mamdani’s supporters trying to mount a primary challenge against him —

Then rants about Trump:

“I have no idea what these people are talking about! The problem is Donald Trump!”

🍿😭 https://t.co/IPk4PzD43a pic.twitter.com/7Pyaoh281Q

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 9, 2025

Jeffries’ senior advisor Andre Richardson added, “If Team Gentrification wants a primary fight, our response will be forceful and unrelenting. We will teach them and all of their incumbents a painful lesson on June 23, 2026.”