Victor Davis Hanson Warns Americans Not to Be Fooled by Zohran Mamdani’s Charming Smile
Victor Davis Hanson recently joined Mark Levin to discuss the rising political profile of Zohran Mamdani, cautioning Americans against being deceived by Mamdani’s charismatic appeal.
“I think he feels that he’s a creature of an off-year, low-turnout election in New York,” Hanson observed. He explained that the demographic landscape of New York has shifted significantly, particularly after many people fled the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s a million or a million and a half less conservative voters” now, Hanson added.
Mamdani plans to leverage an Obama-like charismatic smile to win over voters. Hanson warned that this friendly front might give the false impression that Mamdani “is not going to be dangerous,” especially since he “doesn’t scream and yell like Elizabeth Warren” does. However, Hanson stressed that this charm “fools a lot of people.”
According to Hanson, Mamdani primarily appeals to the upper, upper-middle class — individuals who believe their intellectual abilities or degrees should guarantee them a certain lifestyle, yet feel they are not achieving that in New York. Hanson expressed skepticism about whether Mamdani’s supporters truly understand the implications of his policies.
“We’re really talking about the upper, upper middle class in a low turnout election with a divided ticket with Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa,” Hanson noted. “He [Mamdani] thinks he can sneak in, and I think he’s right.”
Hanson also mentioned that a united front against Mamdani could have been possible with a strong center-right candidate. Figures like former New York City Mayors Mike Bloomberg or Rudy Giuliani “would’ve won,” Hanson said, “but they didn’t have that.”
He added a sharp critique: “He [Mamdani] smiles a lot, and he lies. He wants to disarm everybody in New York. He wants to outlaw guns, but he doesn’t want to disarm Hamas. It makes no sense, but it does make sense if he’s a radical Marxist, which he is.”
Highlighting Mamdani’s background, Hanson pointed out that Mamdani comes from a very privileged upbringing. His parents are a multimillionaire professor and a filmmaker. “He seems to hate the very system that empowered his entire family,” Hanson said.
In conclusion, Hanson characterized Zohran Mamdani as “a very dangerous person because he is charismatic,” warning voters to look beyond the charm and understand the real implications of his platform.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/10/19/what-mamdani-means-for-nyc-vdhs-warning/
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