While Mamdani has said the expression is not one he personally chooses to use, critics have accused him of condoning antisemitism because the mayoral candidate has declined to disavow the phrase, saying he hears the language as “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”

Zohran Mamdani said he would discourage the use of the slogan “globalize the intifada” in a roughly hourlong meeting with some of New York City’s most powerful executives on Tuesday, seeking to defuse an issue that has prompted a backlash from the business community and beyond.

During a Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump threatened a federal takeover of New York if Zohran Mamdani wins the city's mayoral race.