Mamdani says that Obama warned against politics “ language of darkness ” after New York’s victory

Zohran Mamdani confirmed to journalists that he spoke to former president Barack Obama on the phone shortly after declaring the victory in the New York Democrat primary in June.

“It was a call that I was honored to receive,” said Mamdani at an anti-Trump event in the Bronx on Thursday.

The hope of mayor of 33 years told journalists that after winning the primary, he discussed with Obama “the importance of hope in our policy and the ways we govern to deliver this”. Mamdani said they focused on the campaign he led, calling for this “honor to receive this period” with the former president.

“We talked about importance in a moment like this, where politics is often characterized by a language of darkness, the need for hope in the way we speak and how we are moving towards the world,” said Mamdani.

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New York town hall candidate Zohran Mamdani confirmed that former President Barack Obama called him after his primary democratic victory in June. (Getty Images)

The democratic socialist said he was “lucky” to have an example in the former president how to rise above the barrage of criticisms that was launched on the campaign track.

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During an anti-Trump stop on Staten Island on Wednesday, Mamdani was invited to “return from where you come from” and called a “commie” by certain demonstrators outside his event.

“I know that these New Yorkers are representative of themselves. And yet, unfortunately, this is what politics has become far too much,” said Mamdani.

Mamdani answered a follow-up question on his discussion with Obama during the last stop of his anti-Trump tour through New York in Queens on Friday.

New York Democrat mayor’s candidate Zohran Mamdani continued his anti-Trump tour in New York with an event in the Bronx on Thursday, August 14, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey / Fox News Digital)

The Democratic candidate said that the “Stature of Obama speaks of itself”.

“It was an honor to have this conversation, and it presents us the opportunity to continue to rely on the way in which we practice our policy, but also, as the president of the arrondissement said, it is one thing to inspire hope. Our responsibility is now also to deliver and take justice seriously,” said Mamdani.

And while he was talking to journalists in his neighborhood, Mamdani began to turn to the future, reflecting on the reality that he could most likely become the mayor of New York.

“The first 100 days, the first year, the first mandate of what the mayor of the city means to be the New Yorker who was able to vote for the very first time, more than 30,000 people we have registered in the last ten days, but they continue to vote because they continue to see themselves in their democracy,” said Mamdani.

The candidate for the Democrat Town Hall of New York, Zohran Mamdani, closed his tour on Friday “Five Boroughs Against Trump” in New York in Queens. (Deirdre Heavey / Fox News Digital)

The details of the Obama call to Mamdani were first reported by The New York Times Wednesday.

According to the report, Obama congratulated Mamdani, offered him advice on governance, and both discussed the importance of hope for a politically dark time, citing people with knowledge of the conversation.

The report also details how the former collaborators of Obama, including the “Obama Bros” of “Pod Save America”, Jon Favreau and Dan Pfieffer, were in communication with the Democratic strategist of Mamdani, Morris Katz.

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Obama has acquired a reputation since its departure in 2016 for its strategic participation in politics.

The news of his call to Mamdani broke out as ABC News reported this week that Obama congratulated a group of Democrats from Texas for having fled the state to avoid voting for a redistribution bill supported by Trump still controversial, calling on the “inspiring”.