Mamdani does not support changing Constitution to allow him to run for president

State Watch Mamdani does not support changing Constitution to allow him to run for president Comments: by Ashleigh Fields - 06/28/26 10:30 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Ashleigh Fields - 06/28/26 10:30 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) on Sunday said he would not want to change the Constitution’s rules against non-native born Americans running for president, even as his political base continues to grow nationally.

The 34–year-old democratic socialist was born in Uganda. ABC’s Jonathan Karl in a Sunday interview noted that Mamdani will soon meet the Constitution’s age requirement for running for presidennt. But Karl noted Mamdani would still not be eligible to run given his birthplace.

When asked if the requirements should change, Mamdani laughed and said, “I think the Constitution looks good the way it is,” during a Sunday appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

Mamdani made waves this week as three House candidates he backed won election over two incumbents and a third candidate backed by the party establishment. Two of the candidates backed by Mamdani were also democratic socialists.

The mayor’s policies have focused on economic issues, though he is also a supporter of the Palestinian cause and a critic of Israel, as were the three candidates who won on Tuesday.

Mamdani said some socialist ideals can help revive the Democratic party after its 2024 losses.

“I think what the Democratic party can win on nationally is a focus on working people, and I think that what I saw from Darializa when I would walk the streets of her district was a focus on what she describes as the politics of life. She would talk about how we have to invest in babies, not bombs,” he said referring to the congressional campaign of democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier.

On Tuesday, Avila Chevalier ousted incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) in the Democratic primary.

“She’s now going to represent what is one of the poorest districts in the United States of America, and what people in that district are exhausted by is a politics that has justified the spending of tens of billions of dollars in killing civilians overseas, while working people are struggling just to do the basics,” Mamdani said in his remarks on ABC “This Week.”

While the New York mayor has gained popularity in the Big Apple, President Trump and other lawmakers have tied have bucked Mamdani’s socialist policies by connecting him to communism.

Trump has warned against embracing communism in recent weeks while slamming Mamdani’s political approach.

“The Communists are finally making their move. I’ve been waiting and preparing for this for a long time,” Trump wrote in a Friday post on Truth Social. “It’s easy to be a Communist — All you have to do is say, ‘I’ll give you everything,’ but that means you’re taking it away from others that have earned it.”

“Over thousands of years, that Ideology has not worked once,” he added, doubling down on comments he made early Wednesday. “The game is on. Enjoy watching!”

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