Rep. Mike Lawler sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for opting not to attend the city’s annual Israel Day Parade, arguing that the move reinforces concerns many voters already have about the mayor and breaks with a longstanding tradition observed by City Hall for decades.
Appearing on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America Weekend,” the New York congressman said Mamdani’s decision sends the wrong message in a city that is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the world.
“The fact is, many New Yorkers and Americans believe he’s an antisemite,” Lawler said on “Wake Up America Weekend.”
“And the fact that for the first time in decades, the mayor of New York City is refusing to attend the Israel Day parade, where New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside of the state of Israel, just speaks volumes to his conduct, his rhetoric, and those he associated himself with.”
Mamdani, who took office earlier this year and became New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor, is set to become the first sitting mayor since 1964 to skip the annual march along Fifth Avenue. Organizers describe the event as the largest public celebration of Israel outside the Jewish state.
Lawler announced that he would participate in the parade himself, presenting his attendance as a show of solidarity with New York’s Jewish community.
“I will be there tomorrow, proudly marching up Fifth Avenue in support of our Jewish Americans here in New York,” he said.
The congressman, whose district includes Rockland and Putnam counties as well as portions of Westchester and Dutchess counties, argued that elected officials have a responsibility to engage with every segment of the population, regardless of political differences.
“I show up in every community because that’s the job, you are elected to represent everybody, regardless of who votes for you or not,” he said, contrasting his own approach with Mamdani’s.
Lawler also pointed to the results of last November’s mayoral election, where Mamdani secured approximately 50.4 percent of the vote in a three-way contest against Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
“Mayor Mamdani barely got above 50% of the vote, which is very telling,” Lawler said. “Even in New York, where nearly 50% of New Yorkers rejected his rank, antisemitism and socialism.”
Mamdani, who has publicly identified as pro-Palestinian and has accused Israel’s government of committing genocide in Gaza, defended his decision this week, saying he was following through on a campaign commitment while continuing to support security arrangements for the event.
“I take seriously my responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of every New Yorker and every event, regardless of my attendance,” he said at a briefing alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who will serve as grand marshal.
Lawler concluded by predicting that Mamdani’s absence from the parade could have lasting political repercussions.
“I think this is a very bad decision on his part,” he said. “And I do think there’s going to be blowback for it.”
{Matzav.com}
All he has to do is show up for the parade in 2029 before the next mayoral election, and it will be forgotten that he did not come to the previous three. People are so stupid, and he plays on that.
Lawler is threatening with a wet noodle. None of this guy’s DSA supporters or coercive utopian supporters are going to vote against him. You’d need a bigger lefty momzer for him to be defeated.
I don’t know why everyone is going so nuts. It’s not Mamdani is pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes. He campaigned on this. He let everyone know what he believes and they elected him.Elections have consequences and that’s it. Stop tweaking him. Is he any different than in Europe with the different Poritzs who did not like their Jewish subjects. You learn how to deal with him. So far the vast majority of the time the police answer calls in Jewish neighborhoods. The fireman come to fires in Jewish neighborhoods.