Republican Representative Brandon Gill has told New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to “go back to the Third World” in response to a video of him eating with his hands.
“Civilized people in America don’t eat like this,” Gill wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World.”
Newsweek has contacted Gill’s office and the Mamdani campaign for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours.
Representative Brandon Gill speaking in Washington D.C. in February, left, and Zohran Mamdani speaking at his primary election party in New York last week, right.
Aaron Schwartz/Sipa USA//Heather Khalifa/AP
The Context
Mamdani, a 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist, declared victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary last week after former governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race. He would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor if elected in November.
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents and lived briefly in South Africa before moving to New York City when he was seven. He became an American citizen in 2018, shortly after graduating college.
What To Know
The clip of Mamdani eating rice with his hands and talking about how growing up in Uganda and South Africa shaped his understanding of the struggle of Palestinians went viral on X on Sunday.
In the interview, which was conducted with Uncivilized Media in 2023, Mamdani said: “When you grow up as someone, especially in the Third World, you have a very different understanding of the Palestinian struggle. It is one that is framed in terms of empathy and solidarity.”
Responding to the video, Laura Loomer, a far-right political activist, called it “disgusting.”
Conservative attorney Marina Medvin added that it was “gross. Just gross.”
Others hit back at the comments, noting that many Americans eat food like pizza, burgers and tacos with their hands.
What People Are Saying
Laura Loomer wrote on X that Mamdani “is from Africa. And you can tell in the way he eats. Disgusting. My dogs are cleaner and more civilized when they eat than little Muhammad.”
Corey Saylor, research and advocacy director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights organization, said in a statement to Newsweek: “Americans eat pizza, hot dogs, chicken, french fries, burgers, sandwiches, chips, tacos, fruit, nachos, cookies, and various other foods with their hands. Those same Americans can see through the hysterical racism and Islamophobia spewed by the likes of Laura Loomer and Texas Congressman Gill. Only the Ku Klux Klan could enjoy such bigoted and nonsensical statements.”
Karthik Soora, a former Democratic candidate for the Texas State Senate, wrote in response to Gill: “Your wife is South Indian. She grew up eating rice with her hands. You’re literally marrying into it.”
Journalist Yashar Ali responded to Medvin’s comment, writing on X: “Billions of people (quite literally) eat with their hands. You know who I have personally seen eat with their hands? Senior members of the Emirati ruling families. Marina often speaks in a laudatory tone about the Emiratis — she once suggested they should reform Palestinian culture. I’d like Marina to tell MBZ or Sheikh Hamdan, ‘Gross, just gross.’ But she would never, ever dare.”
Journalist Zeynab Day wrote on X: “Do you eat your hot dogs, chips, French fries, chicken tenders, tortilla chips, potato chips, tacos, pizza, sandwiches, oranges, watermelon, strawberries, apples, with a fork? I doubt it. Scooping up with bread is NORMAL. Y’all are the weirdos.”
What Happens Next
Voters in New York will go to the polls to decide the city’s next mayor on November 4.
Update 6/30/25, 11:26 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Corey Saylor.