When self-described Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral Democratic primary, critics on both sides of the aisle began to wake up to just how problematic his meteoric rise could be.

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

The topic of conversation on many of the Sunday morning political shows — in addition to some conversation about Iran and the ongoing battle surrounding President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” — revolved around Mamdani, his history and proposed policies, and how mainstream Democrats who wanted to keep their House and Senate seats could go about responding to his win.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), for example, appeared to be uncomfortable when pressed on whether or not he intended to endorse Mamdani in the upcoming general election. It’s certainly possible that Jeffries hesitated because there may be three Democrats running — current Mayor Eric Adams, who won as a Democrat, has announced an independent bid for reelection; and disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), who lost to Mamdani in the primary, left the door wide open for a third party run. It’s also possible that Jeffries, who represents a district that is 11% Jewish, has concerns about Mamdani’s support for BDS — “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” — against Israel or his claim that, as mayor, he would have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he came to New York City.

On ABC News’ “This Week,” host Jonathan Karl asked Jeffries to weigh in on Mamdani.

“I congratulated him on the campaign that he ran, a campaign that clearly was relentlessly focused on the high cost of living in New York City and the economy. He outworked, he out-communicated, and he out-organized the opposition, and that’s clearly why he was successful,” Jeffries said — but added that he didn’t know the Democratic Socialist well enough to make an endorsement.

“Well, our districts don’t overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him. And so that’s the next step in terms of this process to discuss his vision for moving the city forward and addressing the issues that are important to the communities that I represent,” he said, and called on Mamdani directly to “clarify” his position on Israel.

“Globalizing the Intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries concluded. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward. With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hesitated when pressed by @JonKarl about endorsing Democratic New York City mayor contender Zohran Mamdani.

“I have never had a substantive conversation with him. That’s the next step in terms of this process.” https://t.co/XdRBpVxN5K pic.twitter.com/hM0H4CywiC

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 29, 2025

Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) was far more conciliatory toward Mamdani, arguing that Democrats should learn from the way he made his case on economic inequality — primarily by offering his voters things like rent freezes and “free” public transportation.

“If you’re a candidate who is laser-focused on bringing down costs, you’re hitting the right notes,” he said.

. @RepDeluzio on lessons Democrats should learn from Mamdani’s stunning win in New York: “If you’re a candidate who is laser-focused on bringing down costs, you’re hitting the right notes.”@RepRileyMoore @ashleyrallison and @Alyssafarah join @jaketapper to discuss. pic.twitter.com/20C2AJH1Ag

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) June 29, 2025

Mamdani himself joined host Kristen Welker on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” where he doubled down on policy proposals that would shift the tax burden to “whiter” neighborhoods. When Welker pressed him on that, Mamdani claimed that he was simply “describing” the demographics as they were, not suggesting that white people should be taxed more.

“It’s not driven by race,” he claimed. “I’m just naming things as they are.”

Mamdani is unapologetic about language in his plan that would tax “whiter” neighborhoods at higher rates:

“It’s not driven by race….I’m just naming things as they are.” pic.twitter.com/Dnrtij9BxH

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 29, 2025

Given the fact that his tax plan also calls for higher taxes on top earners, Welker asked Mamdani whether he believed billionaires had a “right to exist.” Mamdani, laughing, said that he did not believe billionaires should exist “because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality.”

ZOHRAN MAMDANI: “I don’t think that we should have billionaires.” pic.twitter.com/optpzkp28w

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 29, 2025

Welker also pressed Mamdani on his apparent stance with regard to Israel, asking several times whether he’d condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which she correctly identified as a call to violence against Jews — and while Mamdani insisted that those were not his chosen words, he did not outright condemn the phrase.

“Do you condemn that phrase, ‘Globalize the Intifada?'” Welker asked, and asked again a short time later when it was clear he was not answering: “But do you actually condemn it … which a lot of people hear as a call to violence against Jews?”

“For the people who … feel really concerned by that phrase, why not just condemn it?”

Mamdani said a lot of words in his response to Welker’s query, but none of them were, “Yes, of course, I condemn it.”

.@kwelkernbc to Mamdani:

Do you condemn that phrase, Globalize the Intifada?

But do you actually condemn it..which a lot of people hear as a call to violence against Jews?

For the people who .. feel really concerned by that phrase, why not just condemn it?

Mamdani’s reply ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eZuhMSEO0c

— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) June 29, 2025

So what’s to be done? Democratic strategist James Carville warned that Mamdani’s primary win signaled trouble for New York City, but still seemed hopeful that the “Communist lunatic” — that’s according to President Trump” — could still be stopped on his way to Gracie Mansion.

“There’s a lot of baseball left here. We’ve got a lot of baseball left to play,” he said.

It seems the whole world is rethinking the transgender procedures for kids.

Peer-reviewed studies show their long-term harm. European countries are moving to ban the practice. And just last week, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Skrmetti that Tennessee’s law banning trans procedures for minors could stand. That landmark decision opens the door for future bans, and even caused The New York Times to warn that the case may have “set the movement back a generation.”

But one group simply refuses to back down: the American medical establishment.

The American Medical Association (AMA) recently reaffirmed its commitment to performing transgender procedures on minors, as The Daily Wire recently chronicled.

President Trump tells NATO members to up their defense spending, a Democratic Socialist pulls ahead in NYC’s mayoral race, and the American Medical Association doubles down on transgender medical procedures for minors. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Reporting from… pic.twitter.com/RCSuhDIXpW

— Morning Wire (@MorningWire) June 25, 2025

They’re joined by a coalition of groups that essentially represent the entirety of the American medical establishment — including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — to say nothing of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which has long been at the forefront of the effort to make transgender procedures available to children.

American Medical Association

The AMA’s new president, Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, condemned Skrmetti, saying without a hint of irony that “all patients deserve access to high-quality, evidence-based medical care.” He added that decisions about medical treatment “must be made through a shared decision-making process between the patient and their physician.”

Paul Morigi/Getty Images for PFLAG National

Though the AMA has new leadership, the support for transgender procedures for children goes back years. About a year and a half ago, the AMA hosted a conversation on “what doctors should know” about so-called trans teens. The conversation was jarring, with one doctor claiming a child can know their gender is apparently wrong by age four. 

“What we know about gender formation for all human beings is that young people really do know their gender by about age four,” Dr. M. Brett Cooper said. “It’s that young female assigned at birth that says, ‘Mom, I am a boy,’ or, ‘Mom, I’m like my brother. I’m a boy too.’ And they keep saying that, over and over and over again. Those are the folks that likely, but not always, will have a very firm gender diverse identity.” 

Notably, in October 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Cooper, as well as other doctors, for prescribing “gender transition” drugs to dozens of Texas children in violation of Texas law.

In 2023, the AMA passed a resolution to commit to working with legislators to oppose policies that curb access to these treatments or prioritize parental rights. The resolution also promised collaboration with other organizations to “educate the Federation of State Medical Boards about the importance of gender-affirming care.”

The group also enthusiastically supported Dr. Rachel Levine’s nomination as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. Levine, a male who identifies as a woman, is a proponent of all types of trans drugs and procedures for minors, and once talked about children going through the “wrong puberty.” 

Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Levine — who transitioned *as an adult* — dismisses the question of why children can’t wait until they turn 18 to pursue sex change surgeries:

“Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard. What if you’re going through the wrong puberty?”

This… pic.twitter.com/vJAIwKE6Vl

— Nicki Neily (@nickineily) July 18, 2023

Meanwhile, the gap between the American people and the medical establishment is continuing to widen. According to a recent New York Times and Ipsos poll, 71% of Americans believe children under the age of 18 should not be prescribed puberty blockers or hormones. 

Fortunately for them, medical professionals who disagree with their profession’s trade groups are speaking out, and forming organizations that call for evidence-based medicine.

One group, Do No Harm, has 16,000 members and is fighting to “curtail the unscientific and individually harmful practice of so-called ‘gender affirming care.’” The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, meanwhile, researches and questions trans procedures for minors and promotes non-invasive approaches for gender confusion, like psychotherapy. 

These groups have a strong ally in President Donald Trump, who ran on this issue, and gained massive support for opposing trans procedures for minors and protecting girls’ sports. During his second week in office, Trump signed an executive order stating the United States will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support gender transitions for children. 

Now, his administration is joining the fight. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rescinded Biden-era guidance that promoted trans procedures for minors. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a memo in April that the Department of Justice would consider prosecuting doctors for mutilating children under the guise of “trans care.” 

And, as The Daily Wire exclusively reported, the Federal Trade Commission will hold a workshop in July on transgender surgeries, hormones, and puberty blockers.

An FTC memo said there’s reason to believe some doctors and medical providers are pushing these treatments on minors while “knowingly deceiving parents by exaggerating ‘benefits’ and downplaying…harmful side effects.”

Related: ‘MAHA’ Report On Chronic Disease Will Cause Major Shift In Healthcare, FDA Chief Predicts