Just days before Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral election, voters in the Netherlands put a Dutch politician named Rob Jetten in position to form a government and become their next Prime Minister.
Meet the Dutch Mamdani.
The resemblance between the two politicians is uncanny. Jetten leads the center-left D66 party, and like Mamdani he is a youthful 38 years old, personable, energetic, and savvy on social media (especially Tik-Tok). Like Mamdani, he defied the polls to defeat an entrenched incumbent, campaigning on expanding housing and staking out anti-Israel positions.
Like Mamdani, he will set firsts — Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of New York City and Jetten as the youngest and first openly gay prime minister in Dutch history.
But as left-wing as Jetten is, a lot of New Yorkers would be breathing a sigh of relief if he were the incoming mayor instead of Mamdani. Jetten lacks Mamdani’s resentful edge. He has put forth nuanced positions on divisive issues like immigration, and he unequivocally condemns Hamas.
Mamdani seems to have a grudge, as indicated by his response to what he claimed was an anti-Islamic attack during the campaign by his opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “Growing up in the shadow of 9/11, I have known what it means to live with an undercurrent of suspicion in this city,” he said. “I will always remember the disdain that I faced.” He and other New York Muslims unquestionably faced hostility after 9/11 but he sounds like a man with a score to settle. That is supposed to be Trump territory. Jetten didn’t campaign on grudges and ran an “it-can-be-done” positive campaign straight out of the cheerful Obama playbook.
On immigration, Mamdani has pledged to stop deportations but apparently would not make an exception for illegal immigrants who commit crimes or pose national security threats. “To get to any of us,” he has said, “you will have to get through all of us.”
Jetten, while emphasizing the need for humane immigration policies, argues that asylum seekers should file their applications outside of the European Union and that he would be “strict with the rotten apples who ruin the system.” That balanced policy helped Jetten squeak by anti-immigrant, Islamophobic member of parliament Geert Wilders — a populist known as the “Dutch Trump” and a longtime force in Dutch politics.
Mamdani and Jetten are both strongly critical of Israel’s conduct of the Gaza War, but Jetten has unequivocally condemned Hamas whereas Mamdani has waffled. Asked on the second anniversary of the war whether Hamas should lay down its arms and leave Gaza, Mamdani — rather than give an easy “yes” answer, claimed he was too busy working on affordability to give the question much thought. Instead, he merely said he hoped for peace. Did that question really need much thought?
In contrast, this Oct. 7, Jetten unhesitatingly condemned Hamas and expressed sympathy for its Israeli victims. He recalled the “horrific terror attack,” the murder of more than 1200 Israelis, the kidnapping of hundreds, and the (then-remaining) hostages “who go through hell” every day. He also did not spare Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he called “ruthless.”
Bart Schut, a Dutch journalist and pro-Israel commentator, noted that the extreme left, anti-Israel parties took a beating in the Dutch election and suggested the possibility that Jetten could form a coalition with small, right wing parties supportive of Israel. “All in all, Dutch Jews and friends of Israel can breathe a sigh of relief — things could have been much worse.”
Meanwhile, in New York, with Mamdani’s election, it is hard feel such relief.
Gregory J. Wallance was a federal prosecutor in the Carter and Reagan administrations and a member of the ABSCAM prosecution team, which convicted a U.S. senator and six representatives of bribery. He is the author of “Into Siberia: George Kennan’s Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia.”
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.