Today’s Fear Not at its core is a video of New York City’s Mayor Mamdani answering a reporter’s question. But more than that. It’s the promise that politicians can powerfully stand up to the unpromising politics of our time.
Sid Rosenberg is a friend of Trump’s and the host of a morning radio show on WABC 77 in New York. He is a “shock jock” with a decidedly conservative cast. In other words, he makes a living saying offensive, outlandish and often untrue things.
Examples include calling Venus Williams an “animal,” and that she and Serena would be better portrayed National Geographic than in Playboy. Another one of his peals: “faggots play tennis” and the United States women’s national soccer team were “a bunch of juiced up dykes.” He was once fired from a radio job for making crude remarks about Australian singer Kylie Minogue’s breast cancer diagnosis.
In other words, he’s an equal opportunity bigot and hater. I’d also say hie’s an opportunist getting rich off the current divided – or even failing – state of American politics and culture…
On Monday, March 2, 2026, Rosenberg posted on social media that Mayor Mamdani was an “…Jew hating, radical Islam cockroach running our once beautiful city”. Rosenberg made these remarks while urging President Trump to stop complimenting and giving credibility to “our Jihadist, American hating mayor,” citing his personal outrage at Mamdani’s criticism of the U.S. and Israeli military actions in Iran.
The next morning at the Mayor’s press conference about affordable childcare programs, a reporter asks, “What do you think about Sid Rosenberg; he used the term “cockroach;” I know your police commissioner has had dinner with him.”
Mamdani had to have seen this question coming, and was prepared. (I think he is looking down to notes on his lectern as he answers.)
Still, how he plants his flag on higher ground in the midst of the swamp of our common politics as usual – our polarized to the point of paralyzed political culture… How Mandami stands tall to stem the tide of bigotry and hate speech; the accusations, innuendo and dishonesty so normalized in our day… it’s a moment of strength and hope..
He doesn’t mince words or apologize. Instead he is honest, clear, definitive, but also navigates gracefully with real political aplombl. His witness to a better way – Michelle Obama’s “when they go low, we go hight” – helps us all, reminding us falling victim to the rotten tenor of politics is not our only choice.
HERE IS THE VIDEO OF HIS RESPONSE. It’s most effective, I believe, seeing Mamdani answer the question live.
But since Breeze doesn’t always manage hyperlinks well, here also is the text of Mamdani’s response. It’s worth rereading as well… maybe a couple of times over:
“Muslims in this city, for almost as long as we have been in this city, have had to deal with those with power and platform dehumanizing us.
And to be called animals, insects, to be called a jihadist mayor, to be called a cockroach, this language is both painfully familiar to me as a Muslim New Yorker, but also as someone who was born in East Africa.
And it is difficult to hear. There is also the reminder that silence that greets this kind of bigotry, this kind of Islamaphobia is what allows it to fester. The temptation is to treat this as politics as usual.
And I want to be very clear that I have far more urgent work in front of me than indulging the provocations of a man who trades in outrage and frankly fears the city that we are looking to build, which is one where every single New Yorker who lives here can call it their home.
I am not ashamed of who I am, I am not ashamed of my faith, I am not ashamed of being the first Muslim mayor in the history of our city, and there is no amount of racism that will change the way in which I lead, or the commitment I hold to each and every New Yorker in this city.”
Sometimes, just telling the truth defangs the cruelty and hatred. And yet, Mamdani was careful not to be apologetic or let the sideshow take the main stage and become the central story. I’m going to try and learn from him.
In faith and courage,
Michael Caine
Michael is the Senior Pastor of Old First Reformed United Church of Christ in Old City Philadelphia.
Edited by Rev. Renaldo McKenzie, Chief Content Creator/Publisher at The Neoliberal
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