NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani wants to replace private housing with communes
Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist candidate for New York City mayor, has recently faced criticism for his advocacy of communist revolutionary language and theories. Despite dismissing claims of being a communist as a distraction, videos have surfaced showing Mamdani urging socialists to “seize the means of production” and promoting the idea of communal living in housing.
In a video from 2021, Mamdani can be seen speaking at a conference, where he encourages fellow socialists not to compromise on goals like seizing the means of production. Another video, released by The Gravel Institute, shows Mamdani discussing the need to turn housing from a private commodity to a public one, advocating for communal living with shared facilities like laundry and food co-ops.
Mamdani argues that the current housing market prioritizes profit over providing homes for all, leading to homelessness and a lack of housing options for the poor and working class. He believes that housing should not be treated as a consumer product and instead should be seen as a human right. Mamdani points to post-war communist Vienna as an example of successful communal living and suggests establishing community land trusts to gradually convert housing to community ownership.
President Donald Trump has labeled Mamdani as a “100% Communist Lunatic” and has vowed to “save New York City” from him if elected. Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from the city if Mamdani does not comply. Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Despite the criticisms and accusations, PolitiFact has declared that Zohran Mamdani is not a communist. However, his promotion of socialized housing and communal living proposals rooted in communist revolutionary language have sparked controversy and debate. As the NYC mayoral race heats up, Mamdani’s progressive and socialist ideas continue to draw attention and scrutiny from both supporters and critics alike.
