New York City mayoral candidate and State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani on Sunday surprised both hsi supporters and critics on Sunday after he announced that he is currently in Africa.
In a statement shared by his campaign, Mamdani revealed that he had traveled to Uganda to celebrate his marriage with his wife, Rama, alongside their family and close friends.
“I’m headed there in a personal capacity to celebrate Rama and I’s marriage with our family and friends,” Mamdani said.
The Queens politician is expected to return to New York by the end of July.
Zohran Mamdani Responds to Critics with Humor
Along with the official statement, Mamdani’s team released a video message in which he took a lighthearted jab at his online critics.
Also Read: Watch A 17-Year-Old Zohran Mamdani Score Winning Goal For His Team As 2008 Video Surfaces
“Being a politician means listening, not just to your supporters, but to your critics too,” Mamdani said in the video.
“And some of these critics , especially on a certain website, have been giving me consistent advice.”
In the clip, Mamdani reads aloud a series of posts from X, where users have told him to “go back to Uganda.”
“I hear you, and I agree,” he joked. “I’m going back to Uganda.”
However, Mamdani made it clear that the trip is temporary. “But I do want to apologize to the haters, because I will be coming back,” he added with a smile.
Zohran Mamdani Offers Headline Suggestions to The New York Post
Continuing his playful tone, Mamdani directly addressed The New York Post, anticipating coverage of his trip.
“And since you will undoubtedly read about this trip in The New York Post, inshallah on the front page, here are a few of my humble suggestions for headlines,” he said.
He then offered mock headline ideas in the tabloid’s signature style, including:
“M.I.A? Mamdani in Africa”
“Uganda Miss Me”
“Zo-Running Away?”
Who Is Rama Duwaji, Zohran Mamdani’s Wife?
Mamdani married Rama Duwaji, a 27-year-old artist and animator, in February this year. He publicly shared the news in May through a post on X.
Now, the couple is marking the occasion with a celebration in Uganda, where Mamdani was born before moving to the United States at the age of seven.
Despite the personal nature of his trip, Mamdani’s announcement has drawn attention due to his mayoral campaign and his reputation for confronting criticism directly, often with humor.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
