Zohran Mamdani, 34, has made history as New York City’s next mayor — but just days after his victory, an old tweet of his has resurfaced, sparking new controversy. The post, from June 2020, shows Mamdani raising his middle finger toward a statue of Christopher Columbus in Astoria, Queens, with the caption: “Take it down.” At the time, he was running for state assembly. The image has since reignited tension between the incoming mayor and segments of the city’s Italian American community.
Leaders including Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition, condemned the gesture, calling it “disrespectful” to Italian Americans. “If you offend one community, you offend all communities,” Vivolo said. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo also criticized Mamdani during the campaign, saying the mayor-elect “plays the victim” while offending groups across the city. “Christopher Columbus is considered by many a saint in the Italian-American community, and you give it the finger? You offend me as an Italian-American,” Cuomo said.
Conservative commentators on X (formerly Twitter) quickly amplified the backlash. Actor Joe Piscopo wrote, “Not gonna happen,” while YouTuber Joey Salads added, “This guy needs to be stopped.” Former Trump official Ezra A. Cohen called the post “shameful,” and journalist Megan Basham argued it revealed “the left’s ingratitude.” Still, some defended Mamdani’s stance, noting that many Americans criticize Columbus for his treatment of Indigenous peoples, seeing the statue as a symbol of oppression rather than heritage.
Now, as the old tweet makes the rounds again, the debate over Columbus’s legacy and public monuments has flared up anew — a reminder that cultural divides in New York run deep, even as the city welcomes its first Muslim and South Asian mayor. Mamdani has not yet commented on the resurfaced post, but it’s likely the issue — and what it represents — will continue to shadow his early days in office.
