A MAGA ally and sports broadcaster criticised New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani for contacting President Donald Trump regarding the US military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, saying the newly inaugurated mayor is overstepping his authority.Emily Austin, a Trump supporter, posted on X: “Zohran Mamdani has been mayor for 72 hours and already thinks he runs U.S. foreign policy. Calling President Trump regarding Maduro is laughable. You’re the mayor of NYC, not Secretary of State. The ego is unmatched.” Mamdani is a socialist Democrat leader who had condemned the operation in Venezuela and described it as “an act of war and a violation of federal and international law.” At a news conference, he said he had spoken directly with Trump to register his opposition to the capture and the US attempt to effect regime change in Venezuela.“I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day. I registered my opposition, I made it clear and we left it at that,” Mamdani said.Trump announced Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured following a “large scale strike” after months of US actions targeting suspected drug shipments linked to Venezuela. Mamdani also talked about how the invasion could impact New Yorkers, particularly the city’s Venezuelan community. “This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home. My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance,” he said.Republicans and GOP bigwigs compared the mayor’s left-leaning policy agenda to Maduro’s socialism and accused him of supporting his “Commie friend.”
