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The political earthquake that shook the Democratic Party when Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s primary last month has rattled its way down to Washington, D.C., as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., hosts a “Communication and Organizing Skillshare Breakfast” on Wednesday morning.
Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive champion and youngest woman elected to Congress, was an early endorser of Mamdani, the 33-year-old so-called democratic socialist who has yet to land key endorsements from New York Democratic leaders.
The Bronx and Queens representative campaigned with Mamdani in New York City ahead of his primary win last month, and on Wednesday, the “Squad” member is welcoming Mamdani to the nation’s capital.
According to a flier obtained by The Washington Post, Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani are hosting breakfast at 8 a.m. on Wednesday at the National Democratic Club. While the Democratic National Convention (DNC) shares the same address as Wednesday’s breakfast, the DNC did not organize the event.
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Ocasio-Cortez confirmed the breakfast meeting on Tuesday, telling reporters she is eager for people to meet him “face to face” and “hear what he has to say about making New York affordable for working people,” while championing issues like rent freezes, affordable childcare and grocery prices.
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“I think a lot of people just need to get to know folks before they issue an endorsement. I hope that this conversation can be constructive to bring the party together and rally behind our nominee,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Mamdani has yet to secure endorsements from House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.
“I’m excited to go to Washington, D.C., to speak with Congressman Jeffries, to speak with Senator Schumer, to speak with leaders of our party across the country,” Mamdani said Tuesday.
But while Mamdani is eager to meet with Jeffries and Schumer in Washington, no such meeting has been reported.
When Fox News asked Schumer if he was meeting with Mamdani in Washington on Wednesday, he said, “I spoke with him last night and will be meeting in New York City.”
And on Monday, Jeffries told reporters, “I’m scheduled to meet with the Democratic nominee at the end of the week back home in Brooklyn.”
Last month, New York Democrats congratulated Mamdani on securing the Democratic nomination and confirmed they were having discussions with the young socialist, who would be New York City’s first Muslim mayor if elected this November.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., endorsed Mamdani last week after backing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary. Cuomo announced on Monday his decision to stay in the mayoral race as an independent.
“We’re past the primary, and the people of New York City have spoken,” Epsaillat said Thursday. “If there is a common denominator in every decision that I’ve made since I began to represent this district, in terms of supporting someone, it’s called the Democratic Party.”
Ocasio-Cortez agreed Democrats are “stronger when we are united” when speaking with reporters Tuesday.
“Zohran Mamdani is the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, and as a Democrat, I am rallying behind our nominee,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., said he would not attend Ocasio-Cortez’s breakfast on Wednesday. Suozzi has emerged as a vocal opponent to Mamdani’s campaign among New York Democrats.
Rep. Moskowitz, D-Fla., confirmed he is planning to attend Wednesday’s breakfast. While Moskowitz admitted he has “vast disagreements” with Mamdani on policy, he said he wants to learn about running a successful digital campaign.
Meanwhile, back at the White House, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked President Donald Trump if he was invited to the breakfast.
“I’d love to be,” Trump said. “I’d really love to go. I mean, I look forward to meeting them both.”
But Trump added, “Look, he’s a Communist. I don’t think our country is ready for a Communist, but we’re going to see. And I don’t think that race is over yet either.”
Trump added that he thinks Cuomo should stay in the race because “he has a shot.”
“He’s running against a Communist. I would think that he would have a good shot of winning,” Trump explained.
The Mamdani campaign was quick to seize on Trump’s comments Tuesday.
“We would like to congratulate Andrew Cuomo on earning Donald Trump’s endorsement. Obviously, this triumph speaks for itself. The question now is whether Cuomo will embrace Trump’s support publicly or continue to just accept it in private,” Jeffrey Lerner, a Mamdani campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.
Republicans have been relentless in trying to anchor Mamdani to Democrats across the country who are running in competitive races in elections this year and in next year’s midterms.
Asked earlier this week if Mamdani is giving the GOP extra ammunition in their messaging battle, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley said, “Absolutely.”
“I mean, this is the face of the new Democratic Party,” Whatley charged in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
“Everybody who wants to lead that party wants to lead it to the left. They’re moving away from the American public right now at a pretty rapid clip.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee, which aims to protect the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House in next year’s midterms, has repeatedly tied Democrats to Mamdani.
“Radical socialist Zohran Mamdani isn’t just the future of the Democrat Party, he is the Democrat Party. On the campaign trail, we’ll make sure every voter knows House Democrats share his far-left agenda. They may try to run from it, but they’ve already bent the knee.”
Fox News’ Kelly Phares, Tyler Olson, Dan Scully, Ryan Schmelz, Sandy Ibrahim and Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
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