No Spin News Special: Zohran Mamdani’s Rise in New York Politics

Summary

Episode Overview

Title: No Spin News Special: Zohran Mamdani’s Rise in New York Politics
Host: Bill O'Reilly
Date: December 30, 2025
Theme:
Bill O’Reilly and his guest discuss the meteoric rise of Zohran Mamdani in New York City politics, examining the implications of his political ideology and public statements. The episode critically explores Mamdani’s positions on law enforcement, immigration, international law, and his anticipated tensions with both President Trump and the federal government. The conversation also looks at the changing demographics of New York City, the impact of low voter turnout, and the outlook for the city under Mamdani's leadership.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Zohran Mamdani’s Political Influence and Power

• O’Reilly opens with skepticism about Mamdani’s actual power, particularly regarding federal matters:
  • “Madame has no power at all with the federal government. None.” (00:40)
  • Guest reinforces: “No card to play, no negotiation, nothing.” (01:22)

2. Immigration and ICE Cooperation

• Mamdani has publicly stated he will not cooperate with ICE in identifying undocumented immigrants, especially those considered dangerous. O’Reilly frames this as both dangerous and unrealistic:
  • “He’s basically trying to get President Trump not to hurt him. … Mamdani has publicly stated that he's not going to cooperate with ICE with trying to find undocumented people in this country who are dangerous.” (01:27)
  • Cites Eric Adams’ (NYC Mayor at the time of recording) stance:
    • "I am looking forward to representing the entirety of this city. And this city is also an immigrant city... And we will protect those New Yorkers as we protect every New Yorker." (02:23)
  • O’Reilly notes the lack of mayoral authority:
    • “You won't because you have... no power to do that.” (02:43)

3. International Law vs. American Law

• Discussion on Mamdani’s declaration that he would direct NYPD to arrest leaders like Netanyahu under international arrest warrants:
  • O’Reilly’s rebuttal:
    • "New York City is not a city of international law. This is insane. It's a city of American law. And the United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court." (03:39)
    • Suggests federal repercussions:
    • “If you try to arrest not only Netanyahu, but Putin or anybody else, I'm going to have the FBI arrest you.” (03:58)
  • Explains the limits on city authority and potential consequences, including withholding federal funds.

4. Potential Consequences from the Federal Government

• O’Reilly warns that Mamdani’s actions could trigger a significant federal response:
  • “If Mandani gets out of line and alienates Trump, Trump will stop all the federal money from coming in…” (04:44)
  • Points out potential litigation but asserts that Trump could delay city funding significantly if federal laws are violated.

5. Voter Turnout and Demographics

• The hosts provide analysis on low voter turnout and the influence of immigrants in NYC elections:
  • “Up to 50% … of voters in New York City didn't show up...” (09:12)
  • “Many of those who voted in New York City are born overseas... When you have an enormous amount of foreign voters...you're not going to have the same kind of vote you had 20 years ago. That flooding the zone with immigrants has worked for the Democratic Party.” (09:18-10:36)
  • Noted as contributing to Mamdani’s victory.

6. Mamdani’s Political Ideology

• O’Reilly and guest brand Mamdani as a communist, citing his own words:
  • “He is a communist.” (10:38)
  • Direct quote from Mamdani at the 2021 Young Democratic Socialists of America Conference:
    • “Whether it's the end goal of seizing the means of production, unquote. Seizing the means of production. That is a communist tenet.” (11:10-11:53)
  • O’Reilly and guest express alarm, linking such views to 20th-century totalitarian regimes.

7. Impact on Law Enforcement and Crime

• Concerns about Mamdani’s intentions to cut police funding, refuse cooperation with ICE, and reject incarceration of criminals:
  • “Voting for a man named Mandami is an evil act. Why? Because Mandami himself has said the following. A, he wants to cut a billion dollars out of the New York City police budget... B, that the New York City police is racist... And the third thing is he doesn't want to incarcerate criminals.” (13:28)
  • Argue that these policies would result in increased crime and loss of life.

8. Mamdani’s Meeting with Trump

• O’Reilly describes an anticipated but unproductive meeting:
  • Trump: “We discussed crime. And he doesn't want to see crime and I don't want to see crime. And I have very little doubt that we're not going to get along on that issue.” (14:47)
  • Guest suggests real tensions will remain:
    • “You're not going to get along on that issue because Mandami does not want to put criminals in prison. Period.” (15:00)

9. Potential Fallout for Democrats

• Suggests a disastrous Mamdani term could harm Democratic and progressive prospects in New York:
  • “If man, Donnie is a disaster in New York ... that is going to hurt the Democratic party and the progressive left big time and lead to the defeat of New York Governor Hochul, that’s what that will do.” (07:28-07:49)

10. Jessica Tisch Retained as NYPD Commissioner

• Touted as a stabilizing move:
  • “Jessica Tisch will remain police commissioner under Mayor Mamdani. ... The main reason some believe she would not stay, because she's done a good job and the cops like her. The public likes her. She's very well organized, very dedicated and excellent, I think, Police Commissioner...” (17:58-18:57)
  • Raises the question of tension between Tisch’s role and Mamdani’s policies.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bill O'Reilly:
  “Madame has no power at all with the federal government. None.” (00:40)
  “If you try to arrest not only Netanyahu, but Putin or anybody else, I'm going to have the FBI arrest you.” (03:58)
  “Mandami will probably win, but he's a communist, so how do I know that? Because you know all alone, no, he's not a communist. He is a communist.” (10:38)
  “Voting for a man named Mandami is an evil act...” (13:28)
  “If Mandani gets out of line and alienates Trump, Trump will stop all the federal money from coming in here.” (04:44)

• Guest/Commentator:
  “No card to play, no negotiation, nothing.” (01:22)
  “There are issues that we firmly believe in, whether it's bds... or whether it's the end goal of seizing the means of production, unquote. Seizing the means of production. That is a communist tenet.” (11:10)

• Donald Trump:
  “We discussed crime. And he doesn't want to see crime and I don't want to see crime. And I have very little doubt that we're not going to get along on that issue.” (14:47)

• Eric Adams:
  “And this city is also an immigrant city. It's a city that's proud of its immigrants heritage. ... And we will protect those New Yorkers as we protect every New Yorker.” (02:23)
  “I believe this is a city of international law. ... means looking to uphold international law. And that means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they're for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.” (03:22)

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Important Timestamps by Segment

• 00:40 – Opening on Mamdani’s lack of federal power
• 01:27 – Mamdani’s ICE stance and O’Reilly’s analysis
• 03:10–04:44 – The Netanyahu arrest claim and implications
• 07:28–09:18 – Voter turnout and demographic trends
• 11:10 – Mamdani’s DSA quote on “seizing the means of production”
• 13:28–14:17 – Consequences of Mamdani’s approach to law enforcement
• 14:47 – Trump-Mamdani meeting recap
• 17:58–19:43 – Jessica Tisch’s retention as NYPD Commissioner

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Episode Takeaway

O’Reilly argues that Zohran Mamdani’s leftist, even “communist,” ideology has little practical leverage at the federal level, but could still dramatically reshape New York City’s law enforcement and political tenor. The show repeatedly warns that Mamdani’s rise, aided by shifting demographics and low turnout, portends both destabilization for the city and a potential backlash that may hurt Democrats statewide. The episode ends with questions about how Mamdani will handle policing, where he’ll live as mayor, and how the city will fare under his leadership.

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Tone:
The conversation is candid, direct, and often adversarial toward Mamdani and progressive politics, using pejorative and highly critical language. O’Reilly emphasizes his “no spin” approach while making clear his own strong opinions.

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Transcript

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[Bill O'Reilly]

Bizarre Man, Donnie who's the talk of New York City? Wherever I go in the city, everybody knows me. That's a good thing. I'm a local boy. What about Bin Donning? What about Bin Donning? What can I tell you? You know the guy, Not a lot of subterfuge there. He's a socialist communist, that's what he is. So expect the worst. He's going to Washington, Zoran, tomorrow to talk to Trump. Here's what you need to know about this. Madame has no power at all with the federal government. None.

[Guest/Commentator]

No card to play, no negotiation, nothing.

[Bill O'Reilly]

He's basically trying to get President Trump not to hurt him. That's it. So nothing Mamdani can do for Trump. Now, there are two big issues here. The first one is Mamdani has publicly stated that he's not going to cooperate with ICE with trying to find undocumented people in this country who are dangerous. That's what ICE is trying to do. Yeah. They do round up people who are not dangerous, but it is always in conjunction with the seeking of criminals. I have to understand that. All right, so here's what Mandani has publicly said.

[Guest/Commentator]

Go.

[Eric Adams]

I wanted to ensure that no officers are assisting with the actions of ice.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

And what you did see play out a couple weeks ago. What is your response to Tom Homan who yesterday said, will be back?

[Eric Adams]

I will tell Tom Homan what I will tell anyone who asks, which is the fact that I am looking forward to representing the entirety of this city. And this city is also an immigrant city. It's a city that's proud of its immigrants heritage. It's proud of the fact that so many from across the world find their home in this city. And we will protect those New Yorkers as we protect every New Yorker.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay, well, you won't because you have.

[Guest/Commentator]

No power to do that.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Now, I don't know if Trump is going to be as blunt as I am. I suspect he might be because there's another issue, and that is Netanyahu, the leader of Israel. Mandani says if he shows up in New York at a United nations function or something, Donnie's going to order The NYPD to arrest him.

[Guest/Commentator]

Roll the tape.

[Donald Trump]

You said you would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu based on the 2024 International Court arrest warrant. Next UN General assembly as mayor, would you do that?

[Eric Adams]

So I've said time and again that I believe this is a city of international law. And being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law. And that means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they're for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin. I think that that's critically important to showcase our values.

[Bill O'Reilly]

New York City is not a city of international law. This is insane. It's a city of American law. And the United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court. Now, I don't. Again, I'd love to be in his. So if I'm Trump, I'm looking at Mandani and I'm saying, listen, Mr. Mayor, with all due respect, we don't recognize the International Court. Our cities are under federal and state laws, not international law. And if you try to arrest not only Netanyahu, but Putin or anybody else, I'm going to have the FBI arrest you.

[Guest/Commentator]

You.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Because you are violating federal law. That is why Putin can go to Alaska. We don't recognize that he's a war criminal. He is, but officially we're not involved with the International court.

[Guest/Commentator]

We don't do that.

[Bill O'Reilly]

So I don't think Mandani understands any of this. And I'm not sure how tough President Trump wants to be on a man, because here's the kicker on it. If Mandami gets out of line and alienates Trump, Trump will stop all the federal money from coming in here. Yeah, there'll be litigation on it because Congress is the one that designates the money from block grants to cities. But Trump can hold that money up a long time and he may win the litigation if Mdami violates federal law.

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[Guest/Commentator]

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[Bill O'Reilly]

Himself, you know, it's a fine line that these guys walk about. He talks. But if he did anything to interfere with ice. And Homan correctly as was stated, says there are going to be some ICE operations in New York City, some big ones coming up and Donnie interferes with that and you'll be arrested. Now Mandani might want that. Keep that in mind. He might want that. Get some worldwide headlines attention.

[Guest/Commentator]

Look, if man, Donnie is a disaster.

[Bill O'Reilly]

In New York and I don't know.

[Guest/Commentator]

Even if he'll try to do anything, he might just sit there, I don't know. But if he's a disaster that is going to hurt the Democratic party and the progressive left big time and lead to the defeat of New York Governor.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Hochul, that's what that will do.

[Guest/Commentator]

But we don't know how bad this man is going to be. We will know in, I don't know, six months. So there are a lot of things that are undefined now. Zoran, he was such a better candidate than Cuomo. It was like the LA Dodgers playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sorry, Pittsburgh Pirates. It was just. No, Mandani was a very good campaigner. Smiling guy. Hi, how are you? I'm gonna give you everything non threatening.

[Bill O'Reilly]

And Cuomo. Okay, so that meant a lot.

[Guest/Commentator]

That meant a lot. Just people uninformed and the younger people. I'm going to give you the numbers in a moment. But the big thing was that up to 50% and we don't have the stat. We should have it. But we don't have 5 million registered voters in New York City. 5 million. Okay. Most states don't have 5 million people. Well, I shouldn't say that.

[Bill O'Reilly]

A lot of states don't.

[Guest/Commentator]

Half didn't show up. Half of the voters in New York.

[Bill O'Reilly]

City didn't show up because they don't.

[Guest/Commentator]

Care who's running the show. Right. And there was a big Turnout for the mayoral race, more than 2 million. But when half don't show up, anybody can win. And many of those who voted in New York City are born overseas. Now, this is going to sound like a slight. I'm sure the Internet smear merchants, gutter snipes will pick it up. Traditional American values are still embraced by most indigenous Americans who were born here and whose family passed down the values of self reliance, competition, freedom. You're born overseas, you have a totally different value system. You may want our values, but you were raised in a different culture where things happen differently. When you have an enormous amount of foreign voters, as you do in Los Angeles and New York City, you're not going to have the same kind of vote you had 20 years ago. That flooding the zone with immigrants has worked for the Democratic Party. I didn't know whether it would, but it has. It's altered everything.

[Bill O'Reilly]

And it's not that these are bad people.

[Guest/Commentator]

They're here legally. They can vote legally. They work much harder, in my experience, than people born here. I'm generalizing, of course, but their culture is different, and that means a lot in New York City. Mandami will probably win, but he's a communist, so how do I know that? Because you know all alone, no, he's not a communist. He is a communist.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Now, I was going to run a.

[Guest/Commentator]

Soundbite, but I'm not going to run it.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I'm going to quote it.

[Guest/Commentator]

Okay, so this is Mandani in 2021 at the Young Democratic Socialists of America Conference. Here's what he said. He said, right now, there's a quote. If we're talking about issues that have groundswell of popular support across the country. There are issues that we firmly believe in, whether it's bds, okay? BDS is Boycott, divestment, and Sanctions against Israel. Okay. Or whether it's the end goal of seizing the means of production, unquote. Seizing the means of production. That is a communist tenet.

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[Bill O'Reilly]

Seizing by force.

[Guest/Commentator]

Because regular folks like me are not going to give you my house, so you have to take it. And guys with guns would have to come.

[Bill O'Reilly]

That's communism.

[Guest/Commentator]

That's what happened in China with Mao Zedong in Russia, with Stalin in Cuba. With Castro. If you read Confronting Evil, it's a big part of the book. How these communist totalitarians were murdered millions, tens of billions of people to seize the means of production. This is what this guy Mandani is quoting. Yet he may be the next mayor of New York City.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Frightening.

[Guest/Commentator]

Yes, it is. So in conjunction with Confronting Evil, my book, I went on News Nation last night. Now, there, there are evil people, just thoroughly evil. Putin, Ayatollah Mao, Hitler, they're on the COVID And there are 11 others in the book. But there are also evil acts that we commit.

[Bill O'Reilly]

All right?

[Guest/Commentator]

Human beings commit. It doesn't mean we're evil 100%, but we do evil things. And I submitted last night on News Nation and made all the social media and all of that stuff, that voting for a man named Mandami is an evil act. Why? Because Mandami himself has said the following. A, he wants to cut a billion dollars out of the New York City police budget that would allow violent crime to spike surge and people would die. Lots of people. B, that the New York City police is racist. That means that the cops are going to quit or get other jobs gone, okay? In addition to the $1 billion cut. And the third thing is he doesn't want to incarcerate criminals. He doesn't believe in incarceration. Ma'. Am.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Donnie.

[Guest/Commentator]

So you, you put that all together and if he is the mayor, I would say thousands of people over four year people will die. And you're voting for that. Is that not an evil act? Mandani? More hysteria. All right, so he goes down to Washington. He meets with Trump 35 minutes, 25 minutes. They're waving at everybody seeing me get along. Here's what the President said. Go.

[Donald Trump]

What we did is we discussed crime more than ice, per se. We discussed crime. And he doesn't want to see crime and I don't want to see crime. And I have very little doubt that we're not going to get along on that issue. Issue.

[Guest/Commentator]

Well, I hate to disappoint you, Mr. President, but you're not going to get along on that issue because Mandami does not want to put criminals in prison. Period.

[Bill O'Reilly]

No limit.

[Guest/Commentator]

And I got a story coming up. I just prove it again and again and again and again. But this is really. I wrote a column yesterday, Billowley.com called the stunt Factor. This is really kind of a stunt political stunt, and Trump did it to annoy his far left critics. I hope you read a column, but there's nothing to this. It's not a serious thing. There's not going to be an easy taunt between Mandani and Trump. First time Mandani impedes an ICE investigation, Boom. No more federal money. Will stop. Wait and see. I'm watching, man Donnie because he's pretty interesting character. 34 years old and he's gonna be.

[Bill O'Reilly]

The next mayor for four years unless catastrophe comes in.

[Guest/Commentator]

We don't know what his inauguration is going to be like.

[Bill O'Reilly]

And it's, it's coming up in less than a month. Nobody knows anything about it. No details. Come on, Zoran, get on it. What are you going to do? I'd like to know if he's going to live in Gracie Mansion on the.

[Guest/Commentator]

East side of Manhattan. And Randotti says he doesn't know. I find that very hard to believe. He's going to live there. You wait and see. He's going in there. That socialist communist is going into that Gracie Mansion. Okay. Power to the people.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Right on.

[Guest/Commentator]

But Mandami says I'm not yet at a decision point. Ooh.

[Bill O'Reilly]

But I do appreciate Gracie Mansion. Been there a few times visiting Mayor Adams. Okay.

[Guest/Commentator]

Mandani currently lives in a rent stabilized.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Apartment in Astoria, Queens.

[Guest/Commentator]

Tell me he's not going to go to Gracie, man.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah, he did.

[Guest/Commentator]

Now, he's also says the mayor elect.

[Bill O'Reilly]

That he's in touch with Donald Trump.

[Guest/Commentator]

Good. But you got to know if you do anything kooky or if there's violence.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Against federal agents or federal property, Mr. Mayor Elect, that President Trump's going to send in federal forces. You got to know that. And he's going to stop a lot of federal aid. So you better behave. And yeah, it's a threat.

[Guest/Commentator]

I'll make it.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I mean, Trump hasn't made it. He has in a roundabout way. But Mandaba, you got to watch it.

[Guest/Commentator]

He does have to watch it. Because the president not in any mood.

[Bill O'Reilly]

For communist antics in New York.

[Guest/Commentator]

As predicted, Jessica Tisch will remain police commissioner under Mayor Mamdani.

[Bill O'Reilly]

And I knew that would happen.

[Guest/Commentator]

And the reason I knew it would happen, and I said it, let's see, about a month ago, even before the election, because I knew Mandana was going to win, too. I said, tish will stay. She likes a job. And I have very, very good contacts within the New York City Police Department. And I occasionally say, oh, what's going on? And everybody's talking about whether Tish was going to go or not. The main reason some believe she would not stay, because she's done a good job and the cops like her. The public likes her. She's very well organized, very dedicated and excellent. I think, Police Commissioner the reason she stayed was that she enjoys getting up.

[Bill O'Reilly]

In the morning and she thinks she's.

[Guest/Commentator]

Doing a lot of good, which she is. Now. The plus is that maybe this will help tamp down Mandani's radicalism toward the cops and his, you know, alleged anti. Semitism. I use that word because I can't see into people's hearts. But he certainly doesn't come across as a supporter of the Jewish people, so.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Maybe that'll tamp it down a little.

[Guest/Commentator]

The downside is that there's going to come a time where Mandani is going to really go after the cops. First time somebody's beaten up or there's some overreaction or something like that, Mandani's.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Going to grandstand it.

[Guest/Commentator]

Tish is going to be standing there.

[Bill O'Reilly]

With him, not going to be easy for her.

[Guest/Commentator]

So I hope it works out. For the sake of public, you know, we want everybody to be safe in the city.