Vice President J.D. Vance took direct aim at socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani during a fiery Independence Day weekend speech, accusing him of disrespecting America on what Vance called the nation's “most sacred day.”
Speaking at the Claremont Institute’s Statesmanship Award Dinner in San Diego, Vance began by marking the historic holiday. “Yesterday, we celebrated the 249th anniversary of the birth of our nation,” he said. Then, referencing Mamdani, Vance noted that “the person who wishes to lead our largest city” had finally posted about the Fourth of July — but with little reverence.
Vance quoted Mamdani’s post: “America is beautiful, contradictory, unfinished. I am proud of our country, even as we constantly strive to make it better.” The vice president slammed the statement for what he saw as a lack of gratitude. “There was no thanks in those words,” Vance said. “No recognition of what this nation has made possible.”
He challenged Mamdani’s view of America, asking, “Has he ever read the letters of boy soldiers who died in the Civil War? Visited the grave of someone who gave their life for his freedom? Looked in the mirror and understood his family is here because of this country's generosity?” Then he added, “Who the hell does he think he is?”
Mamdani, a democratic socialist and New York state assemblyman, shocked many political observers when he defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary. His win is seen as a significant shift to the left within New York’s Democratic Party.
Vance warned that Mamdani’s worldview represents a growing problem within American politics. He said too many leaders are now “ashamed” of the very nation that gave them opportunity, instead of showing reverence for the sacrifices that built it.
He also reminded the audience of Mamdani’s personal history. “His father fled Uganda when Idi Amin targeted Indians for ethnic cleansing,” Vance said. “They escaped racial violence, and they came here. This country welcomed them. And still, on July 4th, 2025, this man speaks of America as flawed and contradictory?”
Vance didn’t hold back, labeling Mamdani’s message as an insult cloaked in vague idealism. “It is not commonplace here to see the kind of violence and division his family escaped,” Vance said. “And yet he chooses to diminish what this country offered him.”
The vice president’s speech resonated with many in the conservative base, emphasizing his core message: that gratitude and national pride should never go out of style — especially on Independence Day.