New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was described as "not American at all" by his mother, Mira Nair, in a resurfaced interview from 2013.
Nair, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, spoke with the Hindustan Times about raising her son, then 21-year-old Mamdani.
In the interview, Nair discussed how she kept her son connected to his roots.
Despite Mamdani studying politics and Arabic at Bowdoin College in Maine at the time, Nair claimed he was completely culturally Indian and that they are not Western at all.
"He is very much us. He is not an American at all," said Nair. "He was born in Uganda, raised between India and America. He is at home in many places. He thinks of himself as a Ugandan and as an Indian."
Mamdani in the NYC mayoral race
Zohran Mamdani is now running as the Democratic nominee in the mayoral race, facing independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
While Mamdani's campaign has energized progressive voters with its focus on affordability, transit, and housing, concerns from New York Jews have arisen over his commitment to anti-Israel movements.
New York City's early voting period began on October 25 and will continue until November 4, according to the city’s Board of Elections, with Election Day on Tuesday, November 4.