Actor Michael Rapaport has labelled Zohran Mamdani a ‘moron’ as he reiterated his intention to run for mayor in three years.
Mamdani was sworn in as New York City’s mayor in January, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor.
Originally from Uganda, he became a naturalized US citizen in 2018 and was widely viewed as an outsider heading into last year’s race.
The 34-year-old ultimately defeated Republican activist Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, the former Democratic governor, securing more than 50 percent of the vote in November.
Although Mamdani has only been in office for a short time, Rapaport has already said he plans to challenge him when the 2029 election comes around.
Rapaport — known for roles in shows and films including Atypical, Friends, Prison Break, and most recently The Traitors — has been outspoken about his views on Mamdani, having previously called him ‘evil’ earlier this year.
At the same time, the 56-year-old also announced that he intends to run for NYC mayor at the next election.
In a recent interview with NewsNation, the comedian again criticised Mamdani and referred to the new mayor as a ‘moron’.
During a conversation with Chris Cuomo, Rapaport discussed antisemitic incidents reported in the city in recent weeks — including an episode in which swastikas were spray-painted on park signage.
“‘Zohran the Moron’ does not think that the state of Israel has the right to exist. We know what his wife thinks. We know the elation she was tweeting on October 7th,” Rapaport said, referring to reports that Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, liked a post supporting a Palestinian cause after the Hamas attacks in 2023.
He went on: “Unfortunately, we all know how this is going to play out. Unfortunately, somebody is going to wind up getting killed in New York City.”
Rapaport then returned to the prospect of a 2029 campaign, arguing that Mamdani would need to be confronted head-on. “The only way to beat this guy is to make it and take it with a New York City street fight mentality,” the Friends alum shared.
“There’s no way to out-nice him. There’s no way to out-slick him. I think that he’s the greatest bullcr*pper in the history of politicians and that’s saying a lot.”
He also suggested he would continue with his plans unless another contender emerged. “I will only drop out until I feel like there’s somebody more qualified that could actually beat ‘Zohran the Moron’.”