NEW YORK — Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) drew thousands to Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on Sunday, where they spoke about fighting back against the policies of the Trump administration, starting in New York with Mamdani.
“We set the bar for America. I’m talking to you, Donald Trump,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “There has been a day before his presidency, and there will be a day after. And it belongs to us.”
Ocasio-Cortez addressed Trump directly and spoke about the recent ICE raids in New York City, emphasizing the power of community as a means of fighting back.
“Here in New York City, it is the jewel and the center of all that is possible in America,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And we will send a loud message to President Donald Trump that his authoritarianism is no good here.”
Nearly all 13,000 seats in the stadium were filled. As the sun set, attendees used their phone flashlights to express agreement, lighting up the venue.
Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders have both backed Mamdani since the primary election in summer. Sanders spoke about the rise of Mamdani’s “extraordinary and unprecedented grassroots movement,” from the candidate’s start as a relatively unknown state assemblyman. Sanders praised Mamdani for accomplishing “what people who are serious about real change always do.”
“These are not normal times. This is not a normal election,” Sanders said. “This election is taking place when we have an administration in Washington which every day is moving us toward an authoritarian society, undermining our constitution and the rule of law.”
After speeches from both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders, Mamdani took the stage and was met with thundering applause. Mamdani said his name was “a statistical anomaly in every poll,” but that the campaign’s success came from building “a movement that reflected the city as it actually is,” and not one that “political consultants think exists on a spreadsheet.”
“We need a government that is every bit as ambitious as our adversaries,” Mamdani said. “No longer will we allow the Republican party to be the one of ambition.”
Attendees included Twitch streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker, as well as comedian Sarah Sherman, who emceed the rally. Activists, artists and organizers were invited to share their experience living in New York. Union workers across various fields, like health care, education and social work, echoed concerns about the cost of living.
April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, spoke about the importance of coming together and the necessity to meet the moment with “love for your city.”
“Zohran Mamdani will be the kind of mayor that wakes up every morning and works his heart out for you,” Verrett said. “He knows how to fight, and he doesn’t just fight. He wins.”
Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller and a candidate who ran against Mamdani in the Democratic primary, offered his support while criticizing anti-Islamic rhetoric aimed at Mamdani. Governor Kathy Hochul also joined the rally, to which the crowd responded by chanting “tax the rich” during her speech.
While Mamdani has the support of Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders and other democratic socialists like New York state senator Julia Salazar, many of Washington’s top Democrats, like Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), have yet to comment. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) endorsed Mamdani on Friday.
“At a moment when Americans are extremely distressed about where we are as a nation economically and politically, a victory here in New York will give hope and inspiration to people throughout our country and throughout the world,” Sanders said.
Early voting started the day before the rally, on Saturday a little more than a week before Election Day on November 4.
“The world is changing. It’s not a question of whether that change will come. It’s a question of who will change it,” Mamdani said. “We have an opportunity before us that few have ever received, and even fewer will seize.”
