Mamdani Defends 'Monsters' Remark About AIPAC Amid Jewish Community Backlash

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday stood by remarks he made last week about AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, despite sharp criticism from Jewish organizations and elected officials. He rejected calls to apologize or retract his comments.

At a press conference, Mamdani said AIPAC supports “the status quo,” has opposed efforts to “deliver safety” across the region, and backs a “status quo for immorality.” He also repeated his allegation that the group funds television ads filled with “misleading and bad faith attacks,” while saying he believes other lobbying organizations behave similarly.

Mamdani had already drawn outrage last week when he called AIPAC “monsters” and accused it of using “dark money” to maintain its influence. He also said the group’s goal is “to turn us against one another,” and linked its influence to low wages and economic inequality in the United States. His comments were met with applause from the audience.

The backlash came 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.” Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer said that replacing “AIPAC” with “Jews” reveals “the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books,” and called the remarks dangerous in a city with more than a million Jews.