Only days after Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory made him New York City’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor-elect, a wave of opposition has erupted in Washington — with some Republican lawmakers now vowing to prevent him from ever being sworn in.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist, born in Kampala, Uganda, and raised in New York, has found himself the target of escalating attacks from congressional conservatives and right-wing watchdogs who allege that his rise was aided by illegal campaign financing and possible false statements during his naturalization process.
President Donald Trump, who personally campaigned against him, accused Mamdani of being “a communist” during the closing weeks of the mayoral race and warned that he would withhold federal funding from New York City if voters chose him. They did anyway — by nearly a ten-point margin over former governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent.
Now, with his inauguration set for January 1, what was supposed to be a victory lap for Mamdani has turned into a political siege.
The Birth of a Political Firestorm
Within forty-eight hours of Mamdani’s win, a coalition of Republican lawmakers announced plans to investigate his citizenship and campaign finances, suggesting that the new mayor-elect could face federal scrutiny before he even sets foot in City Hall.
Leading the charge is Representative Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), who issued a blistering press release on October 29 calling Mamdani “a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology.”
Ogles sent a formal letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, demanding an inquiry into Mamdani’s naturalization records and alleging that the New York mayor-elect might have concealed affiliations with foreign or extremist groups when he applied for citizenship.
“If Mamdani lied on his naturalization documents, he doesn’t get to be a citizen, and he certainly doesn’t get to run for mayor of New York City,” Ogles said. “A great American city is on the precipice of being run by a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology.”
“The American naturalization system REQUIRES any alignments with communism or terrorist activities to be disclosed,” Ogles added. “I’m doubtful he disclosed them. If the information is confirmed, put him on the first flight back to Uganda.”
The comments sent shockwaves through the political establishment, triggering immediate backlash from Democrats who called them xenophobic and dangerous.
An Unprecedented Challenge
Legal experts say the push to review Mamdani’s citizenship is unprecedented in modern U.S. history.
While federal law does allow for denaturalization in cases of fraud or misrepresentation, it is an extreme and rarely used measure, historically reserved for former Nazi collaborators, war criminals, or individuals convicted of terrorism-related crimes.
“To suggest revoking citizenship over policy differences is not just un-American — it’s legally absurd,” said immigration attorney Cyrus Mehta, a New York-based specialist in naturalization law. “There is no precedent for using denaturalization as a partisan weapon against an elected official.”
Yet the political optics of the attack are unmistakable: a Ugandan-born, Muslim socialist leading America’s largest city — and the populist president in Washington signaling that he intends to challenge his legitimacy.
A Familiar Strategy From Trump’s Playbook
President Trump’s rhetoric toward Mamdani mirrors his approach toward other high-profile Democratic targets — branding them as “radical,” “un-American,” or “socialist threats.”
“He’s not a mayor for New York — he’s a Marxist experiment,” Trump said at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania days before the election. “If New Yorkers choose this guy, they’re choosing chaos.”
The president’s allies have amplified those claims, framing Mamdani’s win as evidence of “socialist infiltration” into mainstream politics.
White House adviser Stephen Miller appeared on Fox News last week, arguing that “the federal government has an obligation to investigate whether foreign money or influence operations helped put this individual in power.”
That accusation dovetails with a separate and rapidly developing case — one that could have more tangible legal consequences.
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation Steps In
On the same day Rep. Ogles made his statement, the Coolidge Reagan Foundation — a conservative campaign-finance watchdog — filed two criminal referrals against Mamdani with the Department of Justice and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The group alleges that Mamdani’s campaign illegally accepted foreign contributions, in violation of both federal and state election laws.
According to the Foundation, the mayor-elect’s campaign received roughly $13,000 in donations from at least 170 individuals who reside outside the United States, including a contribution from Mamdani’s own mother-in-law in Dubai.
“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” said Dan Backer, president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation and a veteran GOP election lawyer. “This was a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race, which is a clear violation of both federal law and city campaign-finance rules.”
The foundation’s report argues that Mamdani’s team ignored repeated warnings from the city’s Campaign Finance Board that certain donations appeared to originate overseas.
“Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions,” Backer said. “Yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.”
Pattern or Political Attack?
The foundation’s referral requests that federal prosecutors examine potential violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which makes it illegal to “knowingly accept or receive” contributions from foreign nationals in any U.S. election.
Violators can face fines of up to $50,000 per offense and imprisonment for up to five years.
Mamdani’s campaign has acknowledged refunding approximately $9,000 of the disputed contributions after questions were raised by The New York Post, but maintains that the donations were unintentional mistakes made through automated online platforms.
“There was no foreign influence — just small-dollar donors using outdated PayPal and Stripe accounts linked to foreign addresses,” said campaign spokesperson Alisha Khan. “As soon as issues were flagged, the campaign voluntarily refunded the money.”
Still, the damage was done.
Backer says the campaign’s pattern of noncompliance reflects more than negligence. “Whether through carelessness or intent, this conduct undermines the integrity of the democratic process,” he said.
Echoes of 2016
The irony of a socialist candidate accused of taking foreign money is not lost on observers.
Democrats have long accused Trump and his allies of benefiting from covert foreign influence in 2016. Now, Trump’s Justice Department appears poised to turn that narrative on its head — investigating a left-wing mayor-elect for alleged overseas contributions.
“The Republican strategy here is obvious,” said political analyst Julian Zelizer of Princeton University. “They’re reframing the story — taking the same accusations once leveled against Trump and projecting them onto a rising Democrat.”
Inside the Legal Mechanics
The Department of Justice’s Criminal Division confirmed receipt of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation’s referrals but has not commented publicly on whether an investigation has been opened.
Meanwhile, sources inside Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office say the matter has been “logged and under review.”
Should prosecutors pursue the case, they would need to determine whether Mamdani personally knew of the donations’ foreign origins — a difficult threshold to meet.
“Campaigns process thousands of micro-donations online,” explained former FEC commissioner Brad Smith. “Unless there’s proof that the candidate or treasurer knowingly accepted illegal funds, criminal prosecution would be an uphill climb.”
But even the perception of impropriety could prove politically devastating.
The Shadow Over a Historic Win
Mamdani’s election was, by every measure, historic.
Born to Ugandan and Indian parents, he grew up in Queens, attended Bowdoin College, and later worked as a housing activist before winning a seat in the New York State Assembly.
His campaign for mayor drew inspiration from left-wing movements abroad and the grassroots energy of figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Supporters saw him as the embodiment of New York’s diversity — young, articulate, and unapologetically progressive.
But detractors now argue that his background and ideology make him vulnerable to foreign influence, citing his ties to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and his outspoken criticism of Israel.
Some far-right commentators have even suggested that his victory speech — in which he told President Trump to “turn the volume up” — signaled a willingness to provoke confrontation.
The Citizenship Question
The renewed scrutiny of Mamdani’s naturalization process adds another explosive dimension.
According to U.S. law, immigrants seeking citizenship must disclose any affiliation with communist organizations or groups engaged in “terrorist activity.” Failure to do so can result in denaturalization.
Rep. Ogles and several House conservatives claim that Mamdani’s association with left-wing organizations — and his participation in anti-police and pro-Palestinian protests — warrant investigation.
“Mamdani has made statements that sympathize with people who chant for the destruction of Israel,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) during a radio interview. “If that doesn’t raise red flags for DHS, nothing will.”
No evidence has surfaced that Mamdani concealed information during his naturalization, and the Department of Homeland Security has declined to comment on the matter.
Still, the calls to revoke his citizenship have become a rallying cry among hard-right lawmakers and conservative media personalities.
“We cannot allow a foreign-born Marxist to run America’s greatest city,” conservative host Jesse Kelly declared. “This is the hill Republicans should die on.”
Democrats Cry Foul
Democrats see something else entirely: a dangerous precedent.
“This is straight-up McCarthyism,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.). “To question the citizenship of an elected American because of his religion or political beliefs is disgraceful.”
New York’s congressional delegation has rallied behind Mamdani, with Sen. Chuck Schumer warning that “any attempt to block a duly elected mayor from taking office will meet swift legal opposition.”
Civil-rights groups have echoed that sentiment, accusing Republicans of using fear and xenophobia to delegitimize a political rival.
“From Obama’s birth certificate to Mamdani’s passport, the pattern is the same,” said Farhana Khera, president of Muslim Advocates. “When a person of color gains power, they question his Americanness.”
Mamdani’s Response: Calm but Defiant
For his part, Mamdani has remained publicly measured.
“I was born in Uganda, raised in New York, and shaped by this city,” he told reporters outside City Hall. “No amount of political theater in Washington will change that.”
His transition team dismissed the investigations as “transparent attempts to overturn the will of New York voters.”
“This is an attack not just on me but on the principle of democracy itself,” Mamdani said in a written statement. “When people choose their leaders, politicians in Washington don’t get to veto that choice.”
He has continued with his transition plans, announcing appointments to his incoming administration focused on housing, transportation, and climate policy.
Republicans See an Opportunity
Behind the scenes, GOP strategists view the controversy as a potential wedge issue in the 2026 midterms.
“This is bigger than Mamdani,” said one senior Republican aide. “It’s about framing the Democratic Party as the party of radicals, socialists, and open borders. If the base sees that the GOP is taking a stand, it energizes voters.”
Already, fundraising emails from conservative PACs have invoked Mamdani’s name alongside phrases like “the Socialist Mayor” and “foreign-funded radical.”
“Republicans see in Mamdani what Democrats saw in Trump in 2016 — a symbol,” said political analyst Ben Shapiro. “They’re going to use him to rally their movement.”
The Looming Federal Review
Sources close to the Department of Justice say the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section has begun “preliminary fact-finding” related to the Coolidge Reagan referrals.
While no subpoenas have been issued, officials are reportedly examining donation records and cross-referencing contributor addresses with U.S. citizenship databases.
If the inquiry escalates, it could delay Mamdani’s assumption of office — or at least cast a long shadow over his first months as mayor.
“This is how you cripple a new administration without ever filing charges,” said one former DOJ official. “You keep the investigation open, leak selectively, and let suspicion do the rest.”
Trump’s Larger Agenda
The Mamdani controversy also fits neatly into President Trump’s broader narrative of “reclaiming American cities from socialist mismanagement.”
Since returning to office, Trump has pledged to impose stricter federal oversight on blue-state municipalities, threatening to cut funding to any city that “defies federal law or embraces radicalism.”
At a White House event last week, he reiterated his threat toward New York:
“If the new mayor wants to run a communist city, that’s fine — but not with taxpayer money. Not with federal dollars. They can fund their own socialism.”
The remark drew loud applause from supporters — and an immediate response from Mamdani’s transition office: “New Yorkers fund this nation every day. We don’t need lectures from the man who bankrupted an airline and a casino.”
Between Two Worlds
As the legal and political battles intensify, Mamdani finds himself navigating a precarious position — both as a symbol of New York’s progressive future and as a lightning rod for America’s ideological divide.
To his supporters, he represents inclusion, social justice, and the belief that a city can balance prosperity with compassion.
To his opponents, he embodies the dangers of socialism and globalist politics creeping into the American mainstream.
“Every time he opens his mouth, he reminds conservatives what they fear most — that the future doesn’t look like them,” said sociologist Dr. Michael Lerner.
The Road Ahead
For now, Mamdani’s inauguration remains scheduled for New Year’s Day, though legal analysts say the mounting federal scrutiny could produce “procedural complications.”
If prosecutors were to pursue criminal charges or denaturalization proceedings — however unlikely — they could ask a federal court to delay his swearing-in pending review.
Such a move would spark an unprecedented constitutional battle over states’ rights, local sovereignty, and federal overreach.
“This would be new legal territory,” said Georgetown law professor Rosa Brooks. “We’ve never seen a sitting president attempt to block a city mayor from taking office on the grounds of citizenship or campaign financing.”
A Nation Watching
As winter approaches, all eyes are on New York — the city that has so often served as the stage for America’s political dramas.
Mamdani’s ascent has inspired millions who see in him a new kind of leadership: young, global, unafraid. But his rise has also triggered deep anxieties about identity, loyalty, and ideology in a country still wrestling with its own divisions.
Whether the investigations lead anywhere or fade into partisan noise, one thing is certain: the fight over Zohran Mamdani’s right to govern will shape not only New York’s future but the tone of American politics heading into 2026.
As one longtime observer of city politics put it:
“New York has always been America’s mirror. What happens to Mamdani will tell us what kind of country we really are.”
Adrian Hawthorne is a celebrated author and dedicated archivist who finds inspiration in the hidden stories of the past. Educated at Oxford, he now works at the National Archives, where preserving history fuels his evocative writing. Balancing archival precision with creative storytelling, Adrian founded the Hawthorne Institute of Literary Arts to mentor emerging writers and honor the timeless art of narrative.