'He missed an opportunity': US journalist slams Mamdani's 'yelling' speech after NY mayoral win

Left-leaning journalist Van Jones, commenting on the New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's victory speech, said he was unimpressed with the speech; he was a lot more embracing during the campaign trail and missed an opportunity to bring more people on his side with the speech. The "warm, open" Mamdani we have seen during the race to New York City mayoral polls seemed to have "disappeared" right after the polls were called in his favour, the CNN commentator observed.

The city councilman of Ugandan and Indian origins had a "character switch" immediately after the results were called, the left-leaning commentator said during a CNN show, clips of which have gone viral on social media in the US. Mamdani, a 34-year-old Indian-origin democrat socialist, became the youngest Mayor of New York following his victory in a fiercely fought election, defeating Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Silva.

Jones further said Mamdani's tone in the victory speech left many people confused about whether he was going to include them. “Is he going to be more of a class warrior even in office? I think he missed an opportunity to open up and bring more people under his umbrella.” "I think he missed an opportunity. I think Mamdani, that we saw during the campaign trail, who was a lot more calm, who was a lot more warm, who was a lot more embracing, was not present in that speech".

"I think his tone was sharp. I think he was using the microphone in a way he was almost yelling way different from the Mamdani we have seen on TikTok and the great interviews and stuff like that," the former advisor to US President Barack Obama said during the programme.

The Mayor-elect, in his victory speech, took a confrontational tone against US President Trump, saying, “Donald Trump, since I know you are watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up!”

Trump reacts to Mamdani's remarks

Referring to Mamdani's remarks, the US president said, “I think he should be very nice to me, I am the one who has to approve a lot of things coming to him.”"I want to make him succeed. I want to make the city succeed. I don't want to make him succeed. I want to make the city succeed," the Republican whose celebrity is tied to the city said. "I think he's off to a bad start", Trump said and advised that Mamdani should reach out to Washington."