So, who is the man that United States President Donald Trump has just called a “100% Communist Lunatic”?

From Kampala to Queens

He says he first took an interest in social justice issues while at college.

Zohran Mamdani and his mother, Mira Nair. Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney

Beatmaker to lawmaker

The song later found a fresh burst of attention and a much bigger audience as his mayoral campaign gathered momentum.

In 2020, he unseated a four‑term incumbent and became the first South Asian man to serve in the New York State Assembly.

Zohran Mamdani says his career as a foreclosure-prevention housing counsellor inspired his career into politics. Credit: Heather Khalifa/AP

‘My friends, we have done it’

“In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘It always seems impossible until it is done.’ My friends, we have done it,” he said.

Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral race has become one of the most watched political contests in the United States. Source: Getty / Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

At the general election on 4 November, Mamdani will face incumbent Eric Adams who is running as an independent after a political scandal over federal bribery charges, which have since been dropped.