On Election Day, MSNBC’s Morning Joe spent over 17 minutes of airtime with the Democratic Nominee for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and even gave him 30 uninterrupted seconds towards the end to make his case to voters. The puff-piece interview came across like a last-minute attempt to make sure he got across the finish line instead of a legitimate inquiry into his positions.
Mamdani was asked “real” questions about his policy proposals and campaign promises, but most were soft-ball toss-ups. Where Mamdani may have looked weak or like he failed to answer the question, the co-hosts gave him backup. Only once was he slightly pushed on a topic, only to back down when Mamdani signaled displeasure at the question.
Co-host Joe Scarborough first joked about the nominee being tagged as a “communist.” But instead of asking Mamdani any probing question that would reveal his true colors, Scarborough gave him ample space to define his leanings on his own terms (Click “expand”):
SCARBOROUGH: And the communist joins us now. How do you respond to that when somebody comes up to you say, “I can’t vote for you because you’re a communist.”
MAMDANI: I say, there are reasons you might not want to vote for me, but let’s be honest about my politics. I’m a Democratic Socialist no matter how many times President Trump calls me otherwise.
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, explain the difference. What is the difference between a Democrat, a Democratic Socialist and a communist?
MAMDANI: Well, I’m a Democratic Socialist who’s also a Democrat.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
MAMDANI: And when I say I’m a Democratic Socialist, I explain it in the words of Dr. King from decades ago, who said that, “Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, [but] there must be a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children” in this country.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
Rev. Al Sharpton gave a long-winded question on how Mamdani won’t play into Trump’s desire for a “confrontation,” which somehow lead into a layup for Mamdani to defend progressivism and attack Trump’s threat to deploy National Guard into NYC (Click “expand”):
SHARPTON: … how do you let people understand progressivism does not mean that we’re not going to have law and order and safety in the city?
MAMDANI: You know, I appreciate these questions, Rev., because what they speak to is the fact that New Yorkers deserve safety and justice. They don’t have to pick one or the other, and that’s what we’re going to deliver. […] And I look forward to working with the Commissioner because as she said, we do not need the National Guard here. If this was about safety, Donald Trump would have sent the National Guard to the top eight out of ten states with the highest crime rates in the country. But they’re run by Republicans, so he hasn’t done that.
BRZEZINKSI: So what’s it about?
MAMDANI: It’s about intimidation.
BRZEZINKSI: Right.
MAMDANI: He’s looking to intimidate people across this country.
BRZEZINKSI: You used a phrase that I thought was interesting that we need to Trump-proof the city. And if you could explain how New Yorkers might be paying more to Trump-proof the city and why they might need to do that.
MAMDANI: We have a President who is looking to rip up the very fabric of this city, and that means being ready preemptively for these kinds of threats, as opposed to hoping that they don’t come to bear.
When asking about how Jewish voters would respond to the election of a Muslim mayor, Scarborough couldn’t help mentioning totally-not-biased Mamdani campaign strategist, who claimed the nominee was super observant of Jewish holidays (Click “expand”):
SCARBOROUGH: So, what about concerns we continue to hear from Jewish New Yorkers. Donny Deutsch comes on the show a good bit, he’s concerned, he says rabbis are concerned. I talked to somebody who works with you, Rebecca Katz, who said you actually went to more high — holy services in the Jewish holidays than most Jews she knows in New York City herself. She said that as a Jewish woman. And she said, you’ve done everything you can do, but it’s never enough. Do you feel that way or do — what do you say this morning to New Yorkers who are Jewish who won’t be voting for you but will wake up possibly with you as the mayor tomorrow? What do you say to them?
MAMDANI I will look to be their mayor as well. I will look to be the mayor for every Jewish New Yorker, every New Yorker no matter how they vote, who they vote for, or if they vote, because I’m looking to lead a city of eight-and-a-half million people.
Immediately after, Scarborough played racial games by giving Mamdani time to appeal to the Hispanic population in the context of stringent illegal immigration enforcement:
SCARBOROUGH: And Hispanic New Yorkers. What do you say to Hispanic New Yorkers who are afraid to walk the streets because they may be swept up in ICE raids, whether they’re American citizens or not? What do you say to them?
MAMDANI: I understand their fear. Latino New Yorkers across the five boroughs, these are New Yorkers who have told me time and time again that the very neighborhoods they call home are being hollowed out.
Co-host Willie Geist was the only one willing to dare give Mamdani a semblance of a tough question concerning his affinity for BDS. When Mamdani didn’t give a straight answer, Geist pushed him for one, to which Mamdani subtly shamed Geist into submission (Click “expand”):
WILLIE GEIST: To go back to Joe’s previous question, I’ve talked to Jewish New Yorkers who like your message of affordability, they think it’s the right message, but then they go back and they say, “Well, he supports BDS. He won’t condemn the language of globalize the intifada. He seemed to play both sides after October 7th in his initial statement.” They’re deeply worried that you have some animosity for Jewish people and for the state of Israel. How do you respond to that?
MAMDANI: Look, I think critiques of the state of Israel are critiques of a government, as opposed to critiques of a people and of a faith. And my job is to represent every single New Yorker, and I will do so, no matter their thoughts and opinions on Israel and Palestine, of which millions of New Yorkers have very strong views, and I’m one of them.
GEIST: Would BDS be the policy of your administration as mayor?
MAMDANI: I’ve said that I would support and have supported nonviolent movements to bring about compliance with international law. And where this mayor has violated and looked to violate that kind of law, I would bring us back into compliance —
GEIST: So, yes.
MAMDANI: No, I’m talking about compliance.
GEIST: Okay.
MAMDANI: Right? And I’ve said that I support BDS because this is a movement that is looking for that kind of compliance. We haven’t seen it.
Sharpton asked Mamdani if there was anything he would like to clarify in case of being maliciously misconstrued by opposing campaigns or should apologize for saying. Mamdani didn’t properly interpret the cue, so Scarborough was sure to mention how Mamdani was no longer wants to defund the police (Click “expand”):
SCARBOROUGH: So, any statements or anything like defunding the police, you obviously don’t believe that anymore, right?
MAMDANI: Yes, I’ve said that very clearly —
SCARBOROUGH: You’ve said time and again, right?
[…]
MAMDANI: No. I think I’ve said that, you know, the tweets that I wrote in 2020 around defunding the police, that’s not the position that I hold. And I’m running for mayor to deliver public safety in partnership with the police department.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
MAMDANI: And there’s also language that I’ve used in those same tweets which I’ve apologized for to police officers directly.
At the end of the nearly 18 whole minutes of warming up to the Democratic nominee, co-host Mika Brzezinski gave Mamdani 30 seconds to make his “closing argument” to New York City voters.
The transcript is below. Click “expand” read:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
November 4, 2025
9:20:35 a.m. EST
(…)
MIKA BRZEZINKSI: And Zohran Mamdani joins us now.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: And the communist joins us now. How do you respond to that when somebody comes up to you say, “I can’t vote for you because you’re a communist.”
ZOHRAN MAMDANI: I say, there are reasons you might not want to vote for me, but let’s be honest about my politics. I’m a Democratic Socialist no matter how many times President Trump calls me otherwise.
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, explain the difference. What is the difference between a Democrat, a Democratic Socialist and a communist?
MAMDANI: Well, I’m a Democratic Socialist who’s also a Democrat.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
MAMDANI: And when I say I’m a Democratic Socialist, I explain it in the words of Dr. King from decades ago, who said that, “Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, [but] there must be a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children” in this country.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
(…)
9:26:24 a.m. EST
REV. AL SHARPTON: If you are successful, and polls say you are, many expect that not only will the President try and cut funds, which you’ve just answered, but will probably try and do in New York what he did in L.A., Chicago and want to have a confrontation with you because obviously he wants to use your image toward the midterm elections. How will you handle that without playing into him but at the same time, standing up for the rights of those that are legally here? And how do you unite the people in this city that may or may not have supported you, faith leaders and others, to be part of defending the rights of the city without playing into a confrontation? Secondly, how do you deal with those that are concerned about public safety? You said that you would keep police commissioner in her place. And how do you — and I don’t know if she’s responded or not — but how do you let people understand progressivism does not mean that we’re not going to have law and order and safety in the city?
MAMDANI: You know, I appreciate these questions, Rev., because what they speak to is the fact that New Yorkers deserve safety and justice. They don’t have to pick one or the other, and that’s what we’re going to deliver. We have Commissioner Tisch who Eric Adams when he appointed her, he had embedded the upper echelons of the NYPD with corruption and incompetence, and she started to root that out, lowered crime across the five boroughs.
That’ll continue under a Mamdani administration alongside the creation of a department of community safety that will actually be responsible for taking on the mental health crisis and the homelessness crisis. Because when you speak to New Yorkers, these are things that are top of mind. And politicians make us feel as if these are natural parts of living in this city, these are political choices. It was a political choice when Andrew Cuomo cut the funding for a homelessness program when he was the Governor. It’s a political choice for us to continue having more than 4,200 New Yorkers sleeping on our subway platforms and in our parks.
And I look forward to working with the Commissioner because as she said, we do not need the National Guard here. If this was about safety, Donald Trump would have sent the National Guard to the top eight out of ten states with the highest crime rates in the country. But they’re run by Republicans, so he hasn’t done that.
BRZEZINKSI: So what’s it about?
MAMDANI: It’s about intimidation.
BRZEZINKSI: Right.
MAMDANI: He’s looking to intimidate people across this country.
BRZEZINKSI: You used a phrase that I thought was interesting that we need to Trump-proof the city. And if you could explain how New Yorkers might be paying more to Trump-proof the city and why they might need to do that.
MAMDANI: We have a President who is looking to rip up the very fabric of this city, and that means being ready preemptively for these kinds of threats, as opposed to hoping that they don’t come to bear.
(…)
9:29:53 a.m. EST
SCARBOROUGH: So, what about concerns we continue to hear from Jewish New Yorkers. Donny Deutsch comes on the show a good bit, he’s concerned, he says rabbis are concerned. I talked to somebody who works with you, Rebecca Katz, who said you actually went to more high — holy services in the Jewish holidays than most Jews she knows in New York City herself. She said that as a Jewish woman. And she said, you’ve done everything you can do, but it’s never enough. Do you feel that way or do — what do you say this morning to New Yorkers who are Jewish who won’t be voting for you but will wake up possibly with you as the mayor tomorrow? What do you say to them?
MAMDANI I will look to be their mayor as well. I will look to be the mayor for every Jewish New Yorker, every New Yorker no matter how they vote, who they vote for, or if they vote, because I’m looking to lead a city of eight-and-a-half million people. And I think it’s time that we have a politics that puts the people first, as opposed to a politics that puts the self. And it is a responsibility we have in leading the city to ensure it’s one that doesn’t just root out anti-Semitism, but also celebrates and cherishes Jewish —
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
MAMDANI: — New Yorkers and their place in this city and in the history of the city. It would be an honor to be the mayor —
SCARBOROUGH: And Hispanic New Yorkers. What do you say to Hispanic New Yorkers who are afraid to walk the streets because they may be swept up in ICE raids, whether they’re American citizens or not? What do you say to them?
MAMDANI: I understand their fear. Latino New Yorkers across the five boroughs, these are New Yorkers who have told me time and time again that the very neighborhoods they call home are being hollowed out.
(…)
9:32:02 a.m. EST
WILLIE GEIST: To go back to Joe’s previous question, I’ve talked to Jewish New Yorkers who like your message of affordability, they think it’s the right message, but then they go back and they say, “Well, he supports BDS. He won’t condemn the language of globalize the intifada. He seemed to play both sides after October 7th in his initial statement.” They’re deeply worried that you have some animosity for Jewish people and for the state of Israel. How do you respond to that?
MAMDANI: Look, I think critiques of the state of Israel are critiques of a government, as opposed to critiques of a people and of a faith. And my job is to represent every single New Yorker, and I will do so, no matter their thoughts and opinions on Israel and Palestine, of which millions of New Yorkers have very strong views, and I’m one of them.
GEIST: Would BDS be the policy of your administration as mayor?
MAMDANI: I’ve said that I would support and have supported nonviolent movements to bring about compliance with international law. And where this mayor has violated and looked to violate that kind of law, I would bring us back into compliance —
GEIST: So, yes.
MAMDANI: No, I’m talking about compliance.
GEIST: Okay.
MAMDANI: Right? And I’ve said that I support BDS because this is a movement that is looking for that kind of compliance. We haven’t seen it.
(…)
9:34:12 a.m. EST
SHARPTON: We had on the show right before you, Maria Shriver, who teased me about she did a profile of me 30 years ago when I was a lot more controversial. And it made me think, as I looked at commercials during this campaign, they’ve used statements you’ve said, videos that may have been edited, are there any things you would like to clarify or apologize for? I’ve had to live and say, “I was wrong to say that. I didn’t mean that.” Is there anything you’d like to clear up before people finish voting today?
And secondly, can you commit to doing something about the mice? We almost lost Mika this morning.
BRZEZINSKI: I know.
[Laughter]
SHARPTON: No doubt about it.
BRZEZINSKI: Oh my god. There was one in here, or something.
SCARBOROUGH: No, I don’t —
MAMDANI: I do —
SCARBOROUGH: —think there was.
MAMDANI: You know, the days of government considering a problem too small —
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah.
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
MAMDANI: — those days are coming to an end.
[Crosstalk]
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah? You promise?
MAMDANI: There’s no problem too small, no crisis too large because we deserve a City Hall that actually cares about every issue that New Yorkers are concerned with. And, you know, I was at Tom’s Diner on 112th and Broadway —
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
MAMDANI: — not too long ago, which is right around where I grew up. And as I walked in, a man looked at me from his booth and he said, “You know how I know you’re doing well?” I said, “How?” He said, “Because they’re lying about you on TV.” And, you know, these more than $40 million in attack ads, you can smear and slander me as much as you want, but New Yorkers are also smart enough to see through that.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
MAMDANI: And I’m also proud to say that, you know, much has been made of my age, I think with youth comes two things. One is the arrogance of an innate sense of possibility that I think too often we are losing in our politics. And the other is the humility that you do not know everything, and you must actually surround yourself with those who are experts in the fields that you’re looking to deliver on. I think for too long we’ve had a sense of leadership that pretends as if it is all knowing when, in fact, what a leader is supposed to do is to empower those around them to deliver on the agenda that they ran on. I’m looking forward to being there.
SCARBOROUGH: So, any statements or anything like defunding the police, you obviously don’t believe that anymore, right?
MAMDANI: Yes, I’ve said that very clearly —
SCARBOROUGH: You’ve said time and again, right?
MAMDANI: — that we’re not —
SHARPTON: Anything to clarify. I mean —
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah.
SHARPTON: — I’m not saying you said or did it, but clarify or say maybe I’ve learned how to be more careful —
SCARBOROUGH: By the way, we do this to Rev. every time he’s on the show, and then Rev.’ll do it to me. And we’re both apologizing for things —
[Crosstalk]
MAMDANI: No. I think I’ve said that, you know, the tweets that I wrote in 2020 around defunding the police, that’s not the position that I hold. And I’m running for mayor to deliver public safety in partnership with the police department.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
MAMDANI: And there’s also language that I’ve used in those same tweets which I’ve apologized for to police officers directly.
BRZEZINSKI: Okay. It’s been a very interesting campaign.
SCARBOROUGH: It has.
BRZEZINSKI: Closing argument. 30 seconds. Go.
(…)
