Calls grow for Mayor Mamdani to resign after wife's disputed social likes

Zohran Mamdani is under intense scrutiny after his wife, Rama Duwaji, was reported to have liked several Instagram posts on Oct. 7, 2023 tied to the Hamas attack on Israel, and after a senior transition appointee resigned when old antisemitic posts resurfaced. The controversy has prompted demands for explanations from Jewish groups and criticism from elected officials, and intensified questions about vetting inside Mamdani’s transition.

Screenshots and reporting attributed to Jewish Insider show Duwaji liked posts on the day of the attack that included imagery of a bulldozer breaching a barrier and people atop a captured Israeli Defense Force vehicle with captions invoking resistance and apartheid. Some accounts say the likes included posts promoting anti-Israel demonstrations the following day. An initial excerpt of reporting also alleged that some liked posts called the Oct. 7 attacks a "mass rape hoax"; that specific phrasing has not been corroborated elsewhere in the material available to reporters and requires further verification.

The fallout accelerated when Mamdani’s pick for director of appointments, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, resigned one day after being appointed. Old social-media posts dated to 2011 resurfaced, prompting Da Costa to apologize and step down. She said, "I spoke with the Mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements. These statements are not indicative of who I am." Da Costa added, "As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused. As this has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation." Mamdani accepted the resignation, saying, "Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted."

City Hall has sought to separate Duwaji’s personal social-media activity from official policy and appointments. A City Hall spokesperson stated: "Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7th was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally." Mamdani has defended his wife as a private person, saying, "My wife is the love of my life and she is also a private person who has held no official position in my campaign or at City Hall."

Critics have not been mollified. Councilwoman Inna Vernikov demanded transparency and accountability, saying, "The Mayor and his wife must answer questions and the media must hold them accountable — the same way they would the First Lady of the United States if she had liked statements celebrating the murder of Americans." Vernikov also accused Duwaji of "supporting and justifying the horrific rape and massacre of Jews just a day after October 7." Other critics, including a lawyer named Mike Davis, have argued the controversy raises national security concerns and questioned Mamdani’s fitness for certain clearances; those claims have not been tied to any formal process in the material available.

Transition officials say the problematic posts tied to Da Costa were not detected during vetting, and some Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, have demanded explanations and called for enhanced security at public events. Duwaji has not issued a public statement, and some of the likes reportedly no longer appear on her account.

The episode puts Mamdani’s incoming administration on the defensive and raises broader questions about vetting, the boundary between private expression and public consequence, and how city leaders address antisemitism and security concerns while balancing the privacy of family members. Key allegations, including the "mass rape hoax" language and some critics’ security claims, remain uncorroborated and should be verified with primary social-media records and fuller sourcing.