New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani told business leaders during a closed-door meeting this week that he would not use the slogan "Globalize the Intifada" and would discourage others from using it moving forward, Fox News has confirmed.
After months of refusing to condemn the anti-Israel rallying cry, which, according to the American Jewish Committee, "calls for people from around the globe to participate in rising up against Israel," Mamdani told more than 140 business leaders that a conversation with a Jewish woman about how this phrase triggers memories of terrible incidents changed his mind.
The New York Times first reported Mamdani's comments on Tuesday following his meeting with business leaders at the Partnership for New York City at the offices of Tishman Speyer in Rockefeller Center.
Down in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, at another closed-door meeting hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., about how to run a successful digital campaign, condemnation of the phrase was absent from conversations among national Democratic leaders who attended.
'GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA' PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES
NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani briefly speaks with reporters as he leaves the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 16, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
When asked by Fox News if there was a discussion about Mamdani's new discouragement of the phrase, Ocasio-Cortez said, "No, that did not come up."
Several Democratic lawmakers confirmed Mamdani didn't share specifics about his radical policy agenda for New York City, but instead shared his insights on running an effective digital campaign with a focus on affordability.
'EXISTENTIAL THREAT': JEWISH LEADERS WARN OF NYC 'MASS EXODUS' IF ZOHRAN MAMDANI WINS IN NOVEMBER
A visibly frustrated Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Fox News' Aishah Hasnie that Mamdani "didn't even talk about" the phrase during the breakfast.
"I'll have that discussion with him later, but it didn't come up. But I mean, I know a whole lot of people that care deeply about Israel that also are very worried about watching children die of starvation," she said.
Reps. André Carson, D-Ill., and Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., also confirmed the topic did not come up.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani would be the first Muslim and millennial mayor of New York City if he wins this November. (REUTERS/Bing Guan)
The slogan "Globalize the Intifada" has stirred up tension within the Democratic Party since Mamdani was asked by The Bulwark podcast host Tim Miller if the phrase made him uncomfortable. Mamdani said he doesn't support the policing or banning of language when repeatedly asked by journalists if he would condemn the phrase.
Unsurprisingly, his competitor in the mayoral race, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, joined the chorus of Jewish advocates and coalitions who criticized Mamdani's refusal to condemn the phrase.
"That is not only wrong, it is dangerous," Cuomo said in a statement soon after the viral clip. "There are no two sides here," he added.
But as Mamdani walks back his position on others using the phrase—popular among the pro-Palestine protests that have erupted at Columbia University and other college campuses as Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza rages on—national Democrats have begun to weigh in on the controversial slogan.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks at the NYCLU's May Day rally for workers' and immigrants' rights at Foley Square, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Ocasio-Cortez, an early endorser of Mamdani's campaign, told Fox News' Chad Pergram on Wednesday that Mamdani shared critical insights about how to "level up all of our games in terms of technique" during the "Communication and Organizing Skillshare Breakfast" in Washington on Wednesday.
While several national Democratic leaders have come out in support of Mamdani—including Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who backed Cuomo in the Democratic primary—outstanding skeptics have not endorsed the 33-year-old candidate.
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have confirmed plans to meet with Mamdani in New York City later this week, but both top Democrats have yet to formally endorse the self-described Democratic socialist.
Ocasio-Cortez also urged those with outstanding questions about Mamdani to "get to know him" before "making assessments from what you may see on television." She applauded her caucus for "showing up in good faith" on Wednesday to give him a fair chance and demonstrating a "willingness to listen and make assessments for themselves."
Mamdani's campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional comment.
Fox News' Olivia Patel, Bryan Llenas, Tyler Olson, Chad Pergram and Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.