JD Vance Replies After Zohran Mamdani Says His Aunt Felt Unsafe Wearing Hijab Post-9/11

Zohran Mamdani Highlights Aunt’s Post-9/11 Hijab Fears, JD Vance Responds.

Democratic New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani recounted a personal story about his aunt feeling unsafe wearing her hijab on the subway after the 9/11 attacks, calling it part of the “indignities” faced by Muslim New Yorkers. Speaking outside a Bronx mosque alongside Muslim community leaders, Mamdani said:

“These are lessons that so many Muslim New Yorkers have been taught. And over these last few days, these lessons have become the closing messages of Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, and Eric Adams.”

Mamdani also reflected on the challenges of openly practicing his faith in politics:

“I thought that if I behaved well enough, or bit my tongue enough in the face of racist, baseless attacks, it would allow me to be seen as more than just my faith. I was wrong. No amount of redirection is ever enough.” The remarks drew a snarky response from US Vice President JD Vance, who wrote that, according to Mamdani, the real victim of 9/11 “was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks.”

The comments come amid intense scrutiny from Mamdani’s political rivals. Cuomo, running as an independent, recently appeared on a conservative radio station, laughing at a suggestion that Mamdani would “be cheering” another 9/11 attack. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa has called Mamdani a supporter of “global jihad,” while incumbent Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly cited concerns about Islamic extremism in other countries.

Mamdani emphasized that the goal for Muslim New Yorkers is simple: equality.