“Fact Checkers” Get Debunked Over Trump’s Claims About Trump’s “Pure Communist” Comment About Mamdani
President Donald Trump referred to New York City mayoral nominee and State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani as a “100% communist lunatic” during an appearance on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo in late June. The comment drew immediate responses from media outlets and fact-checking organizations, several of which labeled the statement as “false.”
Fact-checkers from outlets including PolitiFact and Al Jazeera asserted that Mamdani is a democratic socialist, not a communist, and dismissed Trump’s remarks as inaccurate. However, in the days following Trump’s comments, closer analysis of Mamdani’s affiliations, public statements, and policy positions has led to renewed questions about how distinct his views are from traditional communist doctrine.
“He’s a communist… a pure communist,” President Trump said in the Fox News interview.
“Let’s say this, if he does get in, I’m going to be president, and he’s going to have to do the right thing. They’re not getting any money. He’s got to do the right thing.”
Trump on Mamdani: "He's a pure communist. I think he admits it … If he does get in, I'm gonna be president and he's gonna have to the right thing or they're not getting any money. He's gotta do the right thing." https://t.co/QQbrnNjfPB pic.twitter.com/uwVwXClF5U
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 29, 2025
Mamdani, who represents New York’s 36th Assembly District in Queens, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), an organization that advocates for a range of policies that include universal public housing, socialized healthcare, and eliminating profit motives from key sectors of the economy.
While the DSA does not label itself as a communist group, its platform draws from ideological frameworks with Marxist and Trotskyist roots. According to the DSA’s published materials, the group supports “democratic control over the economy,” “worker ownership,” and the dismantling of structures it considers “profit-driven exploitation.” Mamdani has publicly supported and sponsored legislation that aligns with these goals, including:
– Rent cancellation and eviction bans during states of emergency
– Creation of publicly owned grocery stores in underserved communities
– Elimination of the 421-a tax incentive for private real estate developers
– Expansion of fare-free public transportation
– Proposals to transfer housing and public goods to state control
In public statements and posts on social media, Mamdani has frequently referred to landlords as “exploitative,” called for the end of private profit in housing, and described capitalism as “structurally violent.”
A resurfaced video clip from 2021 shows Mamdani stating that “the end goal is to seize the means of production,” a phrase historically associated with communist economic theory. Critics argue that these positions, along with Mamdani’s alignment with the DSA, reflect an ideological framework that closely resembles communism, regardless of how Mamdani identifies himself.
This is not terrible AI, it's a real message from the current frontrunner for NYC Mayor to his socialist comrades.
"The end goal of seizing the means of production."
I can't believe this is actually happening. pic.twitter.com/KNxQV2QCX7
— MAZE (@mazemoore) June 30, 2025
Trump’s remarks, they contend, reflect a broader concern over the policy direction and rhetoric embraced by some figures on the left. Despite that, media outlets have pushed back, focusing their fact-checking primarily on definitions.
PolitiFact’s analysis emphasized that Mamdani has not openly declared himself a communist and has not called for the abolition of all private property or representative democracy. Their assessment categorized Trump’s comment as “false” on the grounds that it misrepresents Mamdani’s declared political affiliation.
The dispute centers less on party membership and more on ideology. While Mamdani does not belong to a formal communist party, his policy goals — including public ownership, the elimination of private profit in essential services, and wealth redistribution — mirror concepts found in Marxist economics.
President Trump’s remarks have brought national attention to Mamdani’s candidacy in the aftermath of his surprise win in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Mamdani’s campaign has continued to promote a platform focused on housing, transit, and labor reforms. As the general election approaches, scrutiny of his ideology and the broader implications for Democratic Party politics remains ongoing.