During a town hall on September 6, 2025, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders highlighted their roles in the Democratic Party amid rising social inequality. While Sanders, at 84, has long championed the Democratic Party’s potential for improving working-class conditions, both figures have been criticized for not directly addressing the threats posed by Donald Trump, such as his militaristic actions and authoritarian tendencies.
Mamdani, seen as a fresh face of the Democratic left, suggested working in partnership with New York Democrats to counter Trump’s actions, referencing California’s legal challenges against military deployments. Critics argue that this approach minimizes the threat of dictatorship and overlooks the Democratic Party’s complicity in enabling such actions. Mamdani has also distanced himself from earlier calls for police abolition, demonstrating a willingness to align with law enforcement.
The article emphasizes that both Mamdani and Sanders appear to redirect popular opposition away from a genuine struggle against the oligarchy and instead reinforce the Democratic Party system. Supporters of the Socialist Equality Party argue for a break from the Democratic framework, advocating for a grassroots, socialist movement to confront the escalating attention to dictatorship and inequality. They assert that true progress requires an independent urban working-class mobilization, rather than partnerships with established political figures.
