Imprisoned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is many things. He is a dictator who violently suppressed opposition and rigged elections in his favor. He is a bumbling and incompetent leader who has turned his once prosperous, oil-rich nation into a pariah state. He is an alleged drug trafficker who allowed corruption and graft to spread throughout his government.
But one thing Nicolas Maduro is not is Mayor Mamdani’s problem.
Mamdani’s problem is dealing with the issues facing New Yorkers and those facing them He campaigned for elections: From the affordability crisis and staggering rental prices to providing healthcare to all city residents.
However, just days after taking office, Mamdani seems more intent on tackling the world’s problems than New York’s, with the city’s mayor saying He personally called President Trump To express his opposition to the US military operation that led to the arrest of Maduro.
New York City may be the capital of the world and may be home to people from almost every country on Earth – including… About 230,000 migrants in the past four years, many from Venezuela But Mamdani’s mission is not to voice his opinion on every issue affecting the countries New Yorkers come from, but instead to identify and address those issues in the five boroughs.
Given the massive amount of national press coverage Mamdani received during last year’s election and since — along with New York City’s importance on the world stage — it’s perhaps no wonder why the mayor feels compelled to comment on Maduro’s capture and American foreign policy. But, especially in the early days of his administration, his focus should be on New York City and the problems he pledged to address.
Mamdani’s call for Trump is also puzzling, as he recently and publicly pledged to work alongside the president to address issues like affordability in the city where both men grew up. Mamdani even told NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.” Last November, the two had a “productive” meeting, where they agreed to “focus on what delivering a joint analysis of the affordability crisis to New Yorkers could look like.”
The then-mayor-elect went on to add that he hoped to “establish a productive relationship” focused on issues New Yorkers care about.
For a mayor facing rising rents, public transit pressures, public safety concerns, and looming budget pressures, inserting himself into a volatile geopolitical dispute seems, at best, a distraction from the direct work of governing. So, it’s unclear how summoning the president to reprimand him over Maduro’s arrest will help alleviate the affordability crisis faced by New Yorkers, let alone help cultivate that “productive relationship” between the two leaders.
One possibility for Mamdani’s entry into world affairs is that he may share the same goals as his allies in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — especially when it comes to bringing Maduro back to Venezuela and reigniting the conflict. The so-called Bolivarian Revolution It was started by his predecessor, Hugo Chavez.
In a lengthy published note, the DSA called for the operation that captured Maduro “A blatant imperialist war” This would lead to the installation of a puppet government in Caracas and the transfer of Venezuela’s oil wealth to American companies. What the group’s press release failed to note is how any of this will impact the daily lives of the average New York City resident.
What will impact New Yorkers — and what voters elected Mamdani to do — is make everyday life better for them. It puts the costs of living — rent, groceries, transportation — under control; It works to keep immigrant communities safe from ICE raids; It creates free child care and provides resources for parents of newborns.
Overall, it’s about thinking about what’s best for New York City, not Venezuela.
Marty is the boss Bodega and Small Business Group.