- 2 days ago
This special report focusses on the historic victory of 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani as New York's first Muslim and South Asian mayor, and President Donald Trump's reaction to the defeat of Republicans in major races.
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00:00Welcome, you're watching India Today Global. I'm Geeta Mohan and the big story coming in from
00:04the United States of America. Hours after voters in major races across the country backed Democrats
00:11rebuking his performance, President Donald Trump addressed the election results saying
00:17they weren't good for anybody. Trump was speaking to Republican senators at a White House breakfast
00:23on the one-year anniversary of his victory. The president says the government shutdown was a big
00:29factor negative for the Republican Party in the elections and called on the senators to bring it
00:35to an end. GOP senators have panned that effort saying the 60-vote threshold ensures Minority Party,
00:44which is now Democrats, has a say, something that's important if power shifts in Washington.
00:50Trump also took no blame for the Republican losses in Tuesday night's election.
00:53Last night it was, you know, not expected to be a victory. It was very Democrat areas, but
01:01I don't think it was good for Republicans. I don't think it was good. I'm not sure it was good for
01:05anybody. But we had an interesting evening and we learned a lot. You read the pollsters that the
01:12shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans. And that was a big factor. And they say that I
01:18wasn't on the ballot was the biggest factor. But I don't know about that, but I was honored that they
01:24said that. New Yorkers get their first Muslim and South Asian mayor as Zohran Mamdani wins the
01:33mayoral poll by defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Livermore. As Mamdani and
01:40supporters celebrate the victory, challenges lie ahead for President Donald Trump, who is threatened to
01:46slash federal funds flowing into New York if or should Mamdani win. And that's the case right
01:52now. But a defiant Mamdani says he will take on the rich who rule the city and fulfill the campaign
01:57promises of affordable living and free child care.
02:00So Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you. Turn the volume up.
02:23History sealed. A win that the Democrats could not have asked for at a juncture when the U.S. is
02:28undergoing massive policy and geopolitical changes on Trump's return to the White House.
02:34New York gets its first Muslim and person of South Asian descent as mayor. A democratic socialist,
02:4134-year-old Zohran Mamdani defeated former governor and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo
02:46and Republican candidate Curtis Silva to ascend to the mayoral post. Mamdani will be sworn in on New
02:53Thursday, 2026. Thanking New Yorkers from across all sections for love and support,
03:00the charismatic Mamdani promised to fulfill the campaign promises from free bus rides to affordable
03:05rent and free child care. In his post-Victory speech, Mamdani promised to go after richest sections
03:11hoarding money and exploiting the common man. A direct reference and challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump
03:17and a realtor.
03:18If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that
03:27gave rise to him. So Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you.
03:36Turn the volume up. We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city
03:45have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants.
03:51Mamdani, a son of immigrants, struck a chord with fellow immigrants who had come to pursue
03:55the American dream. Contrary to Trump's anti-immigration policies, Mamdani voiced his support
04:00for people from different religions and communities. He took pride in being a Muslim and, most importantly,
04:06was unapologetic about his socialist stance.
04:10New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants,
04:20and as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me, President Trump, when I say this,
04:30to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.
04:35After all, the conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate.
04:42I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older.
04:45I am Muslim.
04:52I am a democratic socialist.
04:58And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this.
05:05Mamdani's Indian roots reverberated in his speech as he invoked former Indian Prime Minister
05:10Jawaharlal Nehru's tryst with Destiny's speech.
05:13I think of the words of Jawaharlal Nehru.
05:18A moment comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new,
05:25when an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance.
05:30So let us speak now with clarity and conviction that cannot be misunderstood
05:35about what this new age will deliver and for whom.
05:39But the real challenges for Mamdani lie ahead.
05:47Though his campaign touched the core economic issues, prioritizing the working class section,
05:52recent threats by Donald Trump saying that he would not be contributing federal funds
05:56other than the very minimum as required to New York if Mamdani wins the election is worrisome.
06:01His criticism of the business class and the elite who call New York City their home
06:07and Manhattan as the financial capital of the world will also see upheaval.
06:13For an effective role, Mamdani has to make some peace with the class.
06:17His support for Palestine and promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
06:21if he sets foot in New York, will also be tested.
06:25Trump may also see a tussle with Mamdani since New York is the former's business hub.
06:32As supporters cheered for Mamdani, Virginia, New Jersey and California too had reasons to celebrate.
06:38Virginia, New Jersey got their first female Democrat governor and left-hand governor
06:42in Abigail Spanberger and Ghazala Hashmi.
06:45Democrat Jay Jones bagged the Attorney General's post in Virginia.
06:50In New Jersey, Democrat Mikey Sherrill won the gubernotarial race.
06:55Aftar Puravel won the re-election as the mayor of Cincinnati
06:57after defeating J.D. Vance's half-brother, Corey Bauman.
07:02The victories come ahead of the primaries and will determine the next strategy for the Republicans.
07:08As the winners receive congratulatory messages from top Democrat leaders like Barack Obama,
07:13Hillary Clinton, Gavin Newsom and Senator Elizabeth Warren,
07:17it was President Donald Trump who blamed the ballot for missing his name
07:21and the government shut down as reasons for the defeat of the Republicans.
07:25House Speaker Mike Johnson in a post told New Yorkers
07:28that they have chosen a true extremist and a Marxist
07:31and that the consequences will be faced across the nation.
07:35With Mahashvita Lala, Bureau Report, India Today.
07:38And joining me to discuss the Mamdani factor are Mitchell Plitnik,
07:47foreign policy writer, columnist from Maryland,
07:50as also our colleague and reporter on the ground from Washington.
07:54Joining me is Rohit Sharma.
07:56Rohit, if I could come to you first.
07:58A big win for Mamdani.
07:59Trump is in a huddle.
08:00What could his next course of action be when it comes to the Mamdani factor in New York?
08:11Well, look, President Trump has, in a way, distanced himself
08:16from the loss that the Republicans saw last night,
08:20saying that he wasn't on the ballot
08:22and that it's the government shutdown that has caused Republicans the loss.
08:28And it's, you know, he met and he huddled with Sanders this morning
08:33at a breakfast meeting, and he said that he wanted to go out there
08:36and give a speech, but he decided against it.
08:39And, you know, he asked them to end the filibuster
08:41and cautioned them that if a filibuster is in place,
08:45the Republican priorities would not get passed.
08:48And I think he's also leading to the fact that there could be some consequences
08:52in the future, the races, which obviously will play out in November of next year.
08:57So right now, he's asking the government to open.
09:02He's asking Republicans to nix the filibuster.
09:06And we also saw this morning a letter from House leadership
09:09and Senate leadership from the Democratic side
09:11wanting to work with Republicans to open the government.
09:14But right now, I think President Trump is making sure that his base is aware,
09:19that it's not his name that caused them to lose the election
09:24because the government shut down and the inability of Republican members
09:28in the Congress and Senate to keep the government open.
09:31If I could also bring in Mitchell Plitnik here.
09:33Mitchell, a very important development when it comes to...
09:37Do we have Mitchell Plitnik?
09:39Yes, I'm here.
09:40Okay, so Mitchell, thank you so much for joining us.
09:42If we could just talk about the Mamdani factor and how it is impacting Trump,
09:47but also could impact midterm elections given the kind of performance we're seeing,
09:52not just by Mamdani, but other Democrats as well.
09:54Virginia, New Jersey.
09:57Well, Mamdani's victory brings up some profound questions for the Democratic Party.
10:02He is a much more progressive, identifies as a Democratic socialist.
10:10That is his, you know, so he's more radically left, one would say,
10:15than the, you know, than Mikey Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger,
10:18who won the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.
10:22So there's a big question among Democrats about how much they should lean into
10:27the more progressive wing, which is growing,
10:30and which represents the youth of the Democratic Party
10:33and is increasingly representing the majority of the Democratic Party
10:37in terms of its members, but not necessarily of its donors.
10:42So there's this sort of split question that Mamdani's victory raises,
10:47and it remains to be seen how the Democrats will strategically address that question,
10:52particularly in the midterms next year.
10:55So they're going to have to grapple with that
10:58at the same time as Mamdani himself is going to have to grapple with the fact
11:02that centrist Democrats don't like him,
11:04are not going to passionately support his efforts,
11:08and that will combine with Republican obstructionism.
11:12It's going to make his job very difficult.
11:14But if he succeeds in New York and gets his policies through
11:18and people are happy with them,
11:19I think it will have a profound effect on the Democrats,
11:22and we'll see a major shift in where the party heads in the future.
11:26Right. Mitchell, just talking about the policies itself,
11:29you very rightly said that, you know, Democrats could be split
11:32in terms of what Mamdani represents and the funds that come to Democrats.
11:37Now, we've seen all the presidents in the past, including Obama,
11:41when it comes to a position on Israel,
11:43it was very different from what Mamdani brings to the table.
11:46Could that, could Israel, could the question of Gaza, Israel, Muslims,
11:50immigration now really bring in problems for the Democrats
11:54more than what Trump and the Republicans are thinking,
11:58that this is, in a way, a loss for the Republicans
12:02and they could be in trouble?
12:04Is it the other way around?
12:06Well, we're seeing, actually, in both parties,
12:09a great deal of debate and really splits
12:13over the question of U.S. support for Israel.
12:16We're seeing it among Republicans,
12:17although not nearly as profoundly as we're seeing it among Democrats.
12:20Democrats have been very clear.
12:22Democratic voters overwhelmingly opposed the genocide in Gaza.
12:26They overwhelmingly supported U.S. action to try and stop it.
12:30And unfortunately, the Democratic leadership did not listen to them.
12:34Now, that was a significant factor in the 2024 loss of the presidential race.
12:40Not necessarily Gaza itself, but the fact that what Gaza represented
12:45was a democratic leadership that was not only not being guided
12:50by any ethical standards, but also not listening to its constituents.
12:54So it wasn't only Gaza that that was the question.
12:58I think that we're seeing throughout the United States,
13:01and again, as I said, in both parties,
13:03a profound shift in the way Israel is perceived,
13:06in the way the occupation of Palestine is perceived,
13:09and in what people want U.S. Middle East policy to be,
13:13that's not anti-Israel and certainly not anti-Jewish.
13:17Many Jews, in fact, the Jewish community is one of the places
13:21where the most profound shift is happening.
13:22You're right.
13:24I'm sorry?
13:24I said certainly not anti-Jewish.
13:26He's made that very clear.
13:27The distinction is very, very clear in everything that he's done.
13:30Having said that, Mitchell, just about the fact that
13:33this is a 34-year-old we're talking about.
13:37He's just won the mayoral elections.
13:40What next for him?
13:42How do you see the entire breadth of his politics really pan out?
13:46Because I've been tracking him from his campaign
13:49to the speech that he made today.
13:51In itself, you can see a vast difference of how he's matured.
13:56I think that's correct.
13:58I also think that his speech, one of the things that I thought
14:01was not explicitly stated but was in there,
14:05particularly when he told Donald Trump to turn up the volume,
14:08he has his sights set on a lot more than just being the mayor of New York.
14:13He, I believe, is trying to, first of all,
14:17affect a profound change, as I alluded to, in the Democratic Party,
14:20but also for himself.
14:22He expects to be a national figure.
14:24I think he expects to be a national leader.
14:26I think his youth works for him.
14:28Let's not forget, probably the most popular Democrat of the past century
14:34was John F. Kennedy, who was the youngest president
14:37in the history of the United States and is remembered
14:39because he was assassinated as a very young man.
14:43So I think his, and I think his youth works for him also
14:47because we're seeing a real, I think, I would even say disgust
14:51with the way Democrats hold on to their positions in office.
14:55We see Democratic senators too feeble and possibly senile to do their jobs
15:01dying in office and holding on to that office through political machinations.
15:05People are tired of it, and they want to see something different.
15:08One of the reasons that I think progressive forces in the Democratic Party
15:13are going to continue to build momentum
15:15is that what we've seen over the years
15:18is that people vote in the United States
15:20have been voting for change in one election after another
15:22for the past two decades.
15:24And so they go back and forth.
15:26They go between Democrats and Republicans,
15:28whoever the candidates are.
15:29A lot of Zoran's momentum was built by reaching out to Trump voters.
15:35That's how he started really getting his campaign off the ground.
15:38So I think one of the things that has happened
15:42is that Democrats elect centrists like Abigail Spanberger,
15:46like Mikey Sherrill, and they don't make change.
15:49Things are the same.
15:50And then so four years later, the voters go back to the other side.
15:54I think Mamdani has the opportunity to break that cycle.
15:57Absolutely.
15:57Mitchell Blitnick, thank you so much for that perspective.
16:00It does seem like he has time in hand.
16:02He has a vision and ambition,
16:03and he'll have to walk the talk on this one.
16:06Thank you so much.
16:07Absolutely.
16:07Thank you for having me.
16:08Now, Zoran Mamdani's victory has created history,
16:13but with victory comes controversy.
16:16Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour has claimed
16:19that the Council on American Islamic Relations,
16:22that SCARE, or CAIR,
16:24which is under congressional scrutiny for alleged links to the Hamas,
16:28was one of the main funders for Zoran Mamdani's campaign
16:32for the New York City mayoral polls.
16:34Now, according to a New York Post report,
16:36and we do know that the New York Post has written a lot against Mamdani.
16:41Sarsour, in Mamdani's political mentor,
16:45had boasted that she and the Hamas-linked non-profit
16:49helped fuel Mamdani's race.
16:51This comes even as CAIR is under investigation by lawmakers,
16:56including Elyse Stefanik and Tom Cotton,
16:59who have urged the U.S. Treasury to examine whether the non-profit might be bankrolled by Hamas.
17:04The Post also reported that the non-profit was allegedly provided seed money by Hamas,
17:10according to evidence presented in a congressional hearing.
17:13The report further stated that in a video,
17:16Sarasour has suggested that she might reveal details about Mamdani's swift rise in politics
17:21and the financial backing he received from the Council on American Islamic Relations
17:27once the election concludes.
17:29Filipinos were seen scavenging around what was left of their homes in Cebu province
17:39after Typhoon Kalmayegi, locally named Tino,
17:43left a trail of destruction in the central Philippines.
17:46Drone footage captured along the riverside showed damaged houses
17:50made out of light materials caked in mud after the river overflowed.
17:55Officials said on Wednesday that among those killed by Kalmayegi,
17:59which made landfall early on Tuesday,
18:01were six crew members of a military helicopter on a humanitarian mission.
18:06More than 200,000 people were evacuated across the Visayas region ahead of the storm.
18:12Kalmayegi continued to batter parts of Palawan Island as it headed towards the South China Sea.
18:18Winds at the speed of 120 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 165 kilometers per hour.
18:25The 20th storm to hit the Philippines this year is moving towards Vietnam,
18:30where preparations are underway ahead of its expected landfall on Friday.
18:39Now, a video of an Indian man being assaulted by an individual in a Toronto food outlet
18:45went viral on social media.
18:47The clip, which originally surfaced on X,
18:50showed that a confrontation escalated from an argument to a physical assault
18:54inside what appeared to be a McDonald's store.
18:58The Canadian man threw his phone aside in anger,
19:01which prompted the Indian man to pick it up.
19:03Moments later, the visibly intoxicated individual advanced towards him,
19:08pushed him and grabbed him by the collar.
19:10He accused the other man of acting superior.
19:13A staff member, along with onlookers, intervened and asked both men to take it outside.
19:19The aggressor continued accusing the Indian man of arrogance before he was eventually escorted out of the premises.
19:25Today in Statecraft, we discuss a very important development in the Caribbean.
19:39Trump promised that he's going to end wars.
19:41But what we see are warships encircling Venezuela.
19:45What's really happening over there?
19:47And what are Trump's plans?
19:48Is this the beginning of yet another Cold War?
19:52What's Statecraft and a detailed episode on India Today Global YouTube channel?
19:56But for now, here's an excerpt.
20:07Donald Trump loves a one-liner.
20:10He says he ended eight wars in eight months and that nobody else finishes what they start.
20:15This is one of eight wars that my administration has ended in just eight months.
20:20We're averaging one a month.
20:22There is only one left.
20:23It sounds like victory lapsed until you look at the Caribbean.
20:27He has offered everything.
20:30He's offered everything.
20:32You're right.
20:32You know why?
20:33Because he doesn't want to f*** around with the United States.
20:37Troops, warships, F-35s, a carrier strike group steaming in, missiles paraded as anti-drug tools,
20:45and now air strikes on boats that leave bodies in the water.
20:49Trump says he's stopping narco-traffickers.
20:52Critics say he's paving the way for regime change.
20:56Then Moscow shows up with transport planes, air defences, even talk of crews and ballistic missiles,
21:02and the language moves from counter-narcotics to great power standoff.
21:07Is this really a drug campaign or the opening act of a new war or a proxy fight between Washington and Moscow?
21:15Hello and welcome.
21:16You're watching Statecraft with Migita Mohan.
21:18Trump boasts of ending wars.
21:29Armenia, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Israel, Hamas and more,
21:33while his second presidency has rebuilt the U.S. muscle in the Caribbean.
21:37The official line, seize drugs, stop narco-terrorists, protect the homeland.
21:43The visible reality, carrier groups, special ops vessels, covert CIA authorizations, and repeated strikes that killed dozens.
21:51Russia answers with military flights to Caracas, weapons talk, and promises of help.
21:59So who is policing drugs and who is policing influence?
22:02Is the U.S. fighting cartel boats or are we watching two global powers test each other in America's backyard?
22:09Trump's slogan used to be no new wars.
22:13He shouted it, crowded it, and built an image of a commander who ends conflicts.
22:19Yet, here he is again, the biggest U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean in decades.
22:25Strikes at sea that leave bodies.
22:28And talk of seizing oil fields and toppling a government.
22:31The contradiction is stark and naked.
22:34A president who claims peacemaker status now presides over strikes, covert missions, and a massive forward posture.
22:42That tension between I ended wars and I'm ready to start one is the headline.
22:48It's not subtle.
22:49It's not small.
22:51The American display is unmistakable.
22:53Aircraft carriers, destroyers, amphibious ships, attack submarines, F-35s, B-52s, AC-130s, and MQ-9 drones, all amassed within reach of Venezuela.
23:08Bases and airfields in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands show upgrades and activity.
23:14A floating base that carries special forces sits in the area.
23:18Ships capable of landing troops and helicopters have been seen.
23:22The message is a mix of threat and preparation.
23:26Powerful enough to do harm.
23:28Visible enough to be a signal.
23:30It is the kind of presence that changes calculations in capitals, in barracks, and in the minds of local commanders.
23:39The U.S. says it is striking drug boats.
23:41The strikes are dramatic.
23:43Missile or air attacks on small vessels accused of smuggling cocaine and other narcotics.
23:48The operations kill dozens, multiple strikes, multiple boats, and immediate headlines.
23:55The administration frames these as law enforcement at sea, a hard answer to a deadly flow of drugs into the United States of America.
24:05Critics call the strikes extrajudicial and question the evidence linking these boats to Maduro or to major cartels.
24:12When a country uses military firepower at sea and kills suspects without transparent legal process, it raises questions about proportionality, authority, and motive.
24:24Are we policing the narco trade or creating a pretext for pressure?
24:28Trump government has labelled Maduro a narco-terrorist and put a $50 million bounty on his head.
24:36Language matters.
24:38Narco-terrorist is not simply insulting.
24:41It is a legal and political categorization that justifies an extraordinary response in the eyes of policymakers.
24:48The bounty is a real escalator.
24:52It makes capture a priority and signals that removing Maduro is not only desirable, but actionable.
24:59That rhetoric tightens the embrace between counter-narcotics policy and regime change strategy, blurring lines that used to be clearer before.
25:08This is not just about drugs.
25:11Venezuela sits on massive oil reserves and sits close to a vital canal and sea lanes.
25:17Control of energy resources and influence in Latin America are strategic prizes.
25:22China and Russia have been deepening ties with Caracas.
25:26The U.S. sees that as an erosion of its backyard influence.
25:29That makes every naval move, every weapons deployment, and every diplomatic threat double as a play for long-term advantage.
25:39If the U.S. is accused of seeking oil control, the optics of military strikes and fleet deployments only feed that narrative.
25:47This moment is a test of restraint and clarity.
25:50Is the mission truly about drugs, with force used sparingly and legally?
25:55Or is the narco-narrative a cover for a high-stakes power play meant to topple a government and grab influence in a resource-rich state?
26:05That's all in this edition of India Today Global.
26:07Stay tuned to India Today for all the latest news and updates.
26:10Goodbye and take care.
26:20Goodbye and take care.
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