Bill Maher mocks Mamdani’s Oct. 7 anniversary statement: ‘His rap name was Tone Deaf’

HBO host Bill Maher criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday over the mayor’s statement marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

In his “Real Time” monologue, Mr. Maher said Mr. Mamdani, a Democrat, condemned the attack but then pivoted to what Mr. Maher characterized as “Israel made them do it.” The statement itself does not say that. It calls the attack war crimes and says the suffering did not begin or end that day. Mr. Maher then joked that the former rapper’s stage name could have been “Tone Deaf.”

Mr. Mamdani’s statement, issued Wednesday, called the day “profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers.” It said Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. The mayor then accused the Israeli government of genocide in Gaza and cited a Palestinian death toll of more than 74,000, including more than 21,000 children. Those figures are the mayor’s own and have not been independently verified. Israel has rejected the genocide accusation, saying it targets Hamas and other militant groups.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, accused Mr. Mamdani of trying to “hijack” the anniversary. He compared the statement to turning Sept. 11 into a day of mourning for al-Qaeda. Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt faulted the mayor for never using the word Jews, the same report said. Rep. Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, told Politico the statement blamed Israelis for the attack they suffered, according to Fox News.

Mr. Mamdani also faced criticism from the other direction. A crowd of more than 100 demonstrators marched to a Union Square vigil Wednesday, where they drummed outside the barricades and called him a “traitor,” Fox reported, citing City & State New York. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Mr. Mamdani stood by his characterization of Israel’s actions. He said there must be room to mourn both the Israelis Hamas killed and the Palestinians killed since, Fox reported.

Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff told Fox News Digital the statement was “a page from the Trump playbook.” He said Mr. Mamdani’s base has criticized him for keeping the NYPD commissioner, arresting protesters and not disbanding the department’s Strategic Response Group. A statement that draws backlash, Mr. Shroff argued, helps the mayor placate supporters and look like a fighter.

Fox also reported that Mr. Mamdani dined Wednesday at Ayat Hinds Hall, a Palestinian restaurant on the Upper West Side. It is part of the Ayat chain, another location of which drew criticism over a menu section titled “From the River to the Sea,” the Times of Israel reported. The Anti-Defamation League defines the phrase as an implicit call for Israel’s eradication, Fox reported. The chain’s owner, Abdul Elenani, rejected the antisemitism accusations and said he supports a two-state solution, according to Fox, which cited the New York Post. The Times of Israel reported that the location later hosted a free Shabbat dinner for more than 1,300 people.