What did Link Lauren say about Zohran Mamdani? Podcaster claims NY politician is a "socialist who wants to defund the police" 

American TikTok creator and musician Link Lauren recently took to X on June 25, 2025, to comment on New York State representative Zohran Mamdani. Lauren sarcastically addressed his viewers and said:

"Congratulations New York City, it looks like your next mayor might be a 33-year-old Democrat socialist who wants to defund the police and give $65 million to transgender people for gender affirming care, so enjoy paying for those sex change operations. You did great guys."

In his comment against the Democrat, Link Lauren referred to Mamdani's promise on his official campaign website, stating that he aims to spend $65 million in taxpayer funds on transgender treatment, including that for minors.

The breakup for the $65 million features $8 million being allocated to expanded services and $57 million being allocated to community clinics, non-profits, public hospitals, and federally qualified health centers.

"In the face of the Trump administration’s proposed elimination of federal support for GAC and his threats to care for adults, this infusion will protect GAC access for both transgender youth and adults." Zohran Mamdani's campaign website states

Additionally, Lauren proceeded to make fun of the NY politician's name, calling him 'Zoolander' and 'Zoro', and compared his strategy to that of Kamala Harris. The YouTuber said that Zohran Mamdani has been promising "free everything", citing that he wants to own grocery stores, dubbing his move "a little communist."

"To me, regulating prices, it sounds very Kamla Harris-esque. Remember she wanted to regulate prices as well?"

Prior to announcing his intent to allocate funds for transgender treatments, Zohran Mamdani unveiled a plan to “deliver care, opportunity, and protection for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers” via an Instagram post in May 2025.

The announcement of the plan followed a Trans Community Town Hall, and the NY politician promised to protect the LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by:

"Expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide. Making NYC an LGBTQIA+ Sanctuary City. Creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs"

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Link Lauren draws parallels between Zohran Mamdani's campaign and the aftermath of George Floyd's case

In addition to claiming that Zohran Mamdani was a socialist trying to defund the police, Link Lauren emphasized that the NY politician had quoted "You can't have queer liberation unless you defund the police."

Lauren claimed that defunding the police for queer liberation seemed to be "a really big thing" for Mamdani. He then compared the NY politician's campaign to the aftermath of the George Floyd case.

"I remember being in New York City after George Floyd when they went and ransacked all the luxury stores like Gucci and Rolex. I couldn't really see the connection, right? George Floyd, a black man died, and suddenly they needed to go steal, rob, and loot designer clothes. I guess this is something Zoran is going to promote because he doesn't want any police on the street," Link Lauren mentioned

For the unversed, George Floyd was an unarmed Black man whose death was captured on video. It showcased a police officer kneeling on Floyd's neck while he was handcuffed and face down.

The officer remained in that stance despite George Floyd voicing breathing issues, which eventually led to him becoming unresponsive and dying. Floyd's death sparked widespread protests against systematic racism and police brutality.

Additionally, Link Lauren asked New Yorkers to "enjoy the locust and the monsoons" and suggested that the region was about to turn in Gotham, a fictional city characterized by high crime rates and corruption in DC's Batman comics.

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Lauren Link gained prominence after attending the "influencer briefing" held by the White House in April 2025. The internet has dubbed the YouTuber "Maga Malfoy" owing to his resemblance to the Harry Potter character Draco Malfoy.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay