New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered a Fourth of July address marking the nation’s 250th anniversary in which he criticized America’s history, condemned the Trump administration’s immigration policies and argued that patriotism includes confronting the country’s flaws.
Speaking from behind the desk once used by George Washington at City Hall, Mamdani was joined by a group of recently naturalized U.S. citizens from countries including Chile, Mexico, Haiti, Egypt and Pakistan as he reflected on his own experience becoming an American citizen.
“Here at City Hall, as I sit behind George Washington’s desk, alongside new Americans who came to this country, I cannot see all of America,” Mamdani said. He added that the celebration belonged “to our newest Americans, those standing here with me today, all of whom were recently naturalized.”
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, said he became a U.S. citizen nearly a decade ago and described the experience as one of great pride.
The mayor recounted chapters of American history ranging from colonial rule and the Revolutionary War to slavery and successive waves of immigration, arguing that many groups faced discrimination after arriving in the United States.
He cited Irish immigrants fleeing famine, Chinese immigrants, Jewish refugees escaping persecution and Italian immigrants, saying many encountered nativism, restrictive immigration laws and poor working conditions.
Mamdani also challenged traditional ideas of American exceptionalism, arguing that many people had been excluded from the nation’s promise throughout history.
“The story of America has so often been written by those who were told by others with power and influence and wealth that they were anything but exceptional,” he said.
He continued by describing what he viewed as a history marked by exclusion and inequality.
“The powerful have always known their answer. America, in their view, is an arena of supremacy, where only a select few are allowed freedom, where not all are created equal,” Mamdani said.
The mayor also criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, saying, “We see masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans.”
He further argued that America’s wealth has been built by workers while benefiting only a small number of people, per Trending Politics.
Closing his remarks, Mamdani defended criticism of the United States as an expression of patriotism.
“Patriotism has never been about pretending our nation is without flaws,” he said. “In fact, I believe the very act of criticizing America is one of the most American traditions we have.”
President Donald Trump offered a sharply different message later in the day during remarks at Mount Rushmore commemorating the nation’s 250th birthday.
Without mentioning Mamdani by name, Trump praised America’s history and warned against communist ideology.
“Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty,” Trump said. “America will never be a communist country.”
