‘Who the Hell Does He Think That He Is?’ [WATCH]

Vice President J.D. Vance criticized New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani during a speech at the Claremont Institute’s Statesmanship Award dinner, taking issue with Mamdani’s characterization of the United States in a July 4 social media post.

On Independence Day, Mamdani posted a message calling the United States “beautiful,” but also “contradictory” and “unfinished.”

America is beautiful, contradictory, unfinished. I am proud of our country even as we constantly strive to make it better, to protect and deepen our democracy, to fulfill its promise for each and every person who calls it home.

Happy Independence Day. No Kings in America.

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) July 4, 2025

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The comments drew national attention and sparked backlash from across the political spectrum.

Vance, speaking on July 5, responded to the remarks during his formal address, questioning Mamdani’s perspective and drawing attention to his family’s background.

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“Today is July 5, 2025, which means, as all of you know, that yesterday we celebrated the 249th anniversary of the birth of our nation,” Vice President Vance said.

“You know, the person who wishes to lead our largest city had, according to multiple media reports, never once publicly mentioned America’s Independence Day in earnest, but when he did so this year, this is what he said, and this is an actual quote.”

Vance then read Mamdani’s post aloud and directly challenged the tone of the statement, stating, “There is no gratitude in those words, no sense of owing something to this land and the people who turned its wilderness into the most powerful nation on Earth.”

He further emphasized Mamdani’s family history, referencing the 1972 expulsion of Asians from Uganda under then-President Idi Amin. Mamdani’s father, who is of Indian descent, fled the country during that period and eventually immigrated to the United States.

“Zohran Mamdani’s father fled Uganda when the tyrant Idi Amin decided to ethnically cleanse his nation’s Indian population,” Vance stated.

“Mamdani’s family fled violent racial hatred, only for him to come to this country — a country built by people he never knew, overflowing with generosity to his family, offering a haven from the kind of violent ethnic conflict that is commonplace in world history, but it is not commonplace here — and he dares, on our 249th anniversary, to congratulate it by paying homage to its incompleteness, and to its, as he calls it, ‘contradiction.’”

Vance then questioned whether Mamdani had considered the sacrifices made by those who served the country, especially during times of national crisis.

“I wonder, has he ever read the letters from boy soldiers in the Union Army to parents and sweethearts that they’d never see again? Has he ever visited the gravesite of a loved one who gave their life to build the kind of society where his family could escape racial theft and racial violence?” Vance said.

“Has he ever looked in the mirror and recognized that he might not be alive were it not for the generosity of a country he dares to insult on its most sacred day?”

The vice president concluded his remarks with a pointed question directed at Mamdani’s posture and political ambition: “Who the hell does he think that he is?”

Mamdani, the son of Indian-born filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani, has been an outspoken progressive voice in New York politics and announced his candidacy for New York City mayor earlier this year.

The remarks by Vance come amid growing scrutiny over Mamdani’s policy positions and campaign messaging.

As the 2025 New York City mayoral race begins to draw increased national attention, the exchange signals broader debates surrounding patriotism, immigration, and the expectations of public officials on national holidays.