Zohran Mamdani on His Phone Call with Obama: ‘It Was a Call that I Was Honored to Receive’

Reporter: “Hi. So, some news broke that former President Barack Obama called you. I was hoping that you could help explain when exactly that call happened, what was that conversation like, what was discussed, and did he signal that he be endorsing you, and then I have a follow-up [inaudible].”

MAMDANI: “A follow-up. (laughs)”

Reporter: “[inaudible] more questions.”

MAMDANI: “That call happened soon after the primary. It was a call that I was honored to receive, and the contents of it were focused on the campaign that we ran, the importance of hope in our politics and the ways in which we govern to deliver on that. And the lessons of that conversations are ones that I hold close to me as we continue to build this campaign to win the general election. And it was an honor to receive that time and those reflections from the former president.”

Reporter: “Did he signal that he could be endorsing you? And, separately, have you also met with Senator Chuck Schumer at all? I know you said that you wanted to [inaudible].”

MAMDANI: “I leave the decision of endorsements to the president. I can tell you that my focus continues to be on the 8.5 million New Yorkers who call the city their home, and it continues to animate our campaign on how we deliver this campaign to make it a city that they can afford.”

Reporter: “And then Schumer, I’m sorry.”

MAMDANI: “We’ve spoken on the phone a number of times.”