"There are two short, non-evasive responses that would have effectively disposed of the matter. He could, like Governor Kathy Hochul (whose roots go back to County Kerry) have said simply, 'Indeed I do.' Or he might have noted that as mayor of New York he had constituents on both sides of that question, and that ultimately it was 'for the people of Ireland to decide.'"
"Instead, the mayor began by laughing, before going on to admit, 'I've got to be honest, I haven't thought enough on that question.' Perhaps he should have. Because if the setting was indeed unlikely-the mayor and his transportation commissioner, Mike Flynn, were at Flushing International High School to announce a new 15 mph speed limit around the city's schools-the timing was all but inevitable."
"The mayor's confession brought a quick rap on the rhetorical knuckles from Samuelson, who told AM New York he had 'no doubt Zohran will wholeheartedly support the quest for a united Ireland.' Samuelson ascended to his union's international presidency in 2017 from New York Local 100-which under his leadership backed Bernie Sanders in the New York Democratic primary the previous year."
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was asked about his support for Irish unification at a school event announcing a new speed limit policy. Rather than providing a straightforward response, he laughed and admitted he hadn't thought enough about the question. Two effective responses existed: he could have simply stated support for unification, like Governor Hochul, or noted that as mayor of New York he represented constituents on both sides and that Irish people should decide. The timing was predictable given Mamdani's scheduled St. Patrick's Day breakfast at Gracie Mansion and his invitation to speak at a St. Patrick's Day luncheon. Transport Workers Union head John Samuelson, an important Mamdani ally, quickly responded by expressing confidence the mayor would support Irish unification.
Read at The Nation
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