Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner for mayor of New York City, and Letitia James, the New York attorney general, presented themselves as a united front against President Trump at a major campaign rally on Monday, assailing his agenda and arguing that he was seeking political retribution.<\/p>\n
The rally in Manhattan was billed as Mr. Mamdani\u2019s closing argument in the mayoral race, and it captured his improbable journey from unknown state lawmaker to Democratic nominee<\/a> \u2014 buoyed by a grass-roots army of volunteers, and, eventually, by unions and more mainstream Democratic politicians like Ms. James.<\/p>\n \u201cMy friends,\u201d he concluded, \u201cour time is now.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Mamdani nonetheless chose to share the spotlight with Ms. James, who was indicted last week on federal charges of bank fraud and making a false statement<\/a> after warring with Mr. Trump. Her support of Mr. Mamdani \u2014 and the platform she commanded on Monday night \u2014 took on extra significance.<\/p>\n In her first public appearance since the indictment, Ms. James spoke defiantly against the charges, raising her fist in the air before vowing to fight them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou come for me, you\u2019ve got to come for all of us, all of us, every single one of us,\u201d she said, her voice rising. \u201cWe\u2019re all in this together.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms. James, the state\u2019s first Black attorney general, said that she had \u201clearned to stand on the shoulders of my ancestors\u201d and had seen how they had overcome generations of injustice and cruelty.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite being seared with scars, they survived,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ms. James spoke warmly of Mr. Mamdani, calling him her \u201clittle brother\u201d and \u201cone of the boldest voices in the history of New York City politics.\u201d She likened herself to Mr. Mamdani, calling him a leader capable of withstanding groundless attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cHe, like me, knows what it\u2019s like to be attacked, to be called names, to be threatened, to be harassed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Mr. Mamdani used his speech, delivered 22 days before Election Day, to criticize Mr. Trump\u2019s policies and vowed to fight back as mayor.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in a period of political darkness,\u201d Mr. Mamdani said. \u201cDonald Trump and his ICE agents are snatching our immigrant neighbors from our city right before our eyes. His authoritarian administration is waging a scorched-earth campaign of retribution against any who dared oppose him.\u201d<\/p>\n Both leaders pledged to protect vulnerable New Yorkers at a critical moment for the city and for themselves: Ms. James is facing the president\u2019s wrath, and Mr. Mamdani may become the first Muslim mayor of New York City, with his brand of democratic socialist politics and his faith already making him a target of Mr. Trump and Republicans.<\/p>\n The rally, which was held at the ornate United Palace Theater in the predominantly Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights, focused on Mr. Mamdani\u2019s populist plans, including universal child care and free buses. It also highlighted his diverse coalition and his biography as an immigrant who, as a state lawmaker, has worked on issues like debt relief for taxi drivers<\/a>.<\/p>\n This was his fourth major campaign rally, and it was intended to excite his supporters and beseech them not to become complacent. Earlier rallies featured Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont<\/a> and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York<\/a>, two prominent progressive leaders.<\/p>\n Mr. Mamdani has a double-digit lead<\/a> over former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo; the general election is on Nov. 4. At the rally, Mr. Mamdani seemed to treat Mr. Cuomo as less of a threat than Mr. Trump, though some of the earlier speakers seemed to take special glee in their criticism of the former governor.<\/p>\n Several speakers, including Natasha Cloud, a guard for the New York Liberty basketball team, criticized the federal immigration raids. Her praise of Mr. Mamdani\u2019s support of Palestinian rights and his criticism of the Israeli government resulted in a sustained, impromptu chant of \u201cFree, free Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Cuomo, who supports Israel and has sought to make the war in the Middle East a central issue in the race, posted on social media<\/a> on Monday morning that the release of the hostages was \u201ca moral moment, a reminder of our shared humanity and the sacred value of every life.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Cuomo criticized Mr. Mamdani<\/a> for taking hours to respond to the return of Israel\u2019s hostages on Monday.<\/p>\n Mr. Mamdani posted in the afternoon<\/a> that the \u201cscenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving,\u201d mentioning both the hostages and the families returning home in Gaza.<\/p>\n Democrats in New York have rushed to Ms. James\u2019s defense since she was indicted<\/a> on Thursday in the Eastern District of Virginia. The indictment was secured by Mr. Trump\u2019s handpicked prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan.<\/p>\n Mr. Mamdani has been among Ms. James\u2019s most fervent supporters<\/a>, and she has embraced him enthusiastically, even as some Democrats in New York have viewed him with skepticism.<\/p>\n At a rally the weekend before the June 24 primary, Ms. James compared Mr. Mamdani\u2019s campaign to Barack Obama\u2019s first presidential run. She is popular in the Democratic stronghold of Brooklyn and is seen as a link between the moderate and progressive wings of the state\u2019s Democratic Party.<\/p>\n Mr. Cuomo has risen in the polls<\/a> since Mayor Eric Adams exited the race, and Mr. Cuomo has focused on attacking Mr. Mamdani as too far to the left. Mr. Mamdani has criticized Mr. Cuomo as being beholden to Mr. Trump and to wealthy donors such as Bill Ackman, the billionaire financier.<\/p>\n Mr. Mamdani challenged Mr. Ackman by name at the rally, agreeing with Mr. Ackman that his campaign was an existential threat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are an existential threat to billionaires who think they can buy our democracy,\u201d Mr. Mamdani said to loud cheers.<\/p>\n Many of Mr. Mamdani\u2019s supporters are younger and from wealthier neighborhoods. But the crowd at the rally was diverse, reflecting his outreach to immigrant communities and new voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n