Mamdani Defends ‘Monsters’ Remark About AIPAC Despite Jewish Community Backlash

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday stood by his harsh comments about the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, rejecting calls to apologize or take them back after the remarks triggered strong criticism from Jewish organizations and leaders.

At a press conference, Mamdani said that when he speaks about AIPAC, he means “an organization that has been supportive of the status quo” and has fought efforts to “actually deliver safety to people,” not only in Palestine but across the region. He described that status quo as “immorality” and repeated his accusation that AIPAC funds “television ads that blanket the airwaves with misleading and bad faith attacks.” He added that other lobbying groups do similar things.

Mamdani also again tied AIPAC’s influence to economic hardship in the United States, saying its activities are connected to low wages and social inequality. Last week, he called AIPAC “monsters” and accused it of using “dark money” to preserve its influence. He also said the group’s goal is “to turn us against one another,” drawing applause from the audience.

The speech prompted anger from the Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish advocacy groups. American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch wrote on X that calling fellow New Yorkers “monsters” was “outrageous and dangerous,” while Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer said replacing “AIPAC” with “Jews” exposed “the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books.”