Full Breakdown
Pelosi Calls New York Mayor and Michigan Senate Candidate “Wrong” on Israel
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
Core Event
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) publicly rebuked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during an appearance on Donny Deutsch’s *On Brand* podcast. Pelosi described their past statements questioning Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state as “wrong” and said they do not represent congressional Democrats. The exchange occurred on October 30, 2026, just days before the 2026 midterm elections.
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Background on the Politicians’ Positions
Mamdani, elected mayor in 2025, has repeatedly avoided endorsing Israel as a Jewish state. In a June 28 interview with ABC News he said he supports Israel as a state with equal rights but declined to label it a Jewish state, adding that any state privileging one religion over another is unacceptable. El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate hopeful in Michigan, has similarly “struggled” to answer whether Israel should be a Jewish state, arguing the concept conflicts with liberal U.S. values.
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Official Statements & Responses
She emphasized that representatives “represent their districts” and that individual positions do not dictate the Democratic Party’s overall consensus, noting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ clear stance on the issue. Mamdani’s June 28 remarks and El-Sayed’s May appearance were cited as the basis for Pelosi’s criticism.
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Criticism & Opposition
Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, praised Pelosi as a longtime ally of the Jewish community but warned that her failure to acknowledge antisemitism among Democratic colleagues is “alarming.” He questioned whether Pelosi’s claimed support for marginalized voices is genuine.
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Verbatim Quotes
- “When you say Israel doesn't have the right to be a Jewish state, that's antisemitic as far as I'm concerned with all that,” — Donny Deutsch
- “I think any state that privileges one religion over the other is one that I can’t tell you I support, whether it be Israel or Saudi Arabia or anywhere else,” — Zohran Mamdani, york city mayor
- “The fact is that I really do not know of anybody there on our side who is engaged in antisemitism. That may be what it appears to be or what they're charged to be. But if they are, it's only a few. If there are, I think sometimes they say things that they shouldn't and can be interpreted that way,” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- “The job description, job title is representative, but that doesn't mean it has an impact on the consensus of the Democratic Party, and [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries has been very clear on that," Pelosi said.” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- “CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP "Pelosi claims she wants for those voices to be marginalized within her party, yet she demonstrates that she has turned a deaf ear, both to antisemitic expression from her colleagues and to the rabbis anxious to set her straight on the magnitude of the problem.” — Rabbi Yaakov Menken