Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi put New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on full blast over controversial remarks made about Israel, stating that their positions on the subject are “wrong,” before going on to insist that their views do not represent those of the Democratic Party in Congress.
Pelosi, 86, delivered the harsh rebuke while making an appearance on the “On Brand” podcast hosted by Donny Deutsch. During their conversation, the Jewish podcaster asked the longtime California Democrat about growing concerns of antisemitism spreading throughout the party. Deutsch asked Pelosi how Jewish Americans can continue to support Democrats when many prominent members have refused to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
“When you say Israel doesn’t have the right to be a Jewish state, that’s antisemitic as far as I’m concerned with all that,” Deutsch said to Pelosi. When Deutsch brought up both Mamdani and El-Sayed as examples of the antisemitism many have picked up on, Pelosi wasted no time chopping both men down to size and stressing their views are not the default position for Democrats in Congress.
According to a report from the New York Post, Pelosi said, “No, it’s more than concerning. It’s wrong. It’s wrong. And it isn’t a reflection of the Democrats in the Congress of the United States.” A spokesperson representing Pelosi, Nicholas Martin, told the Post that Pelosi still “urged everyone in Michigan and across America to support Abdul El-Sayed,” despite their antisemitic views and rhetoric.
“While they may disagree with him on some issues, she is united with him in the fight to lower costs, protect healthcare and defend our democracy,” Martin went on to say in a statement. Pelosi, who held the gavel in the House as speaker from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, is also putting distance between herself and House Democrats like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and her colleagues’ attempts to defend her against President Donald Trump’s investigation into her citizenship status.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) wrote a letter to the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, which was signed by 175 House Democrats, however, Pelosi was not one of the individuals who signed the letter. Due to prior antisemitic statements, Omar has had committee positions pulled out from underneath her.
Pelosi has taken a more diplomatic path when it comes to an assessment of Mamdani, going on to say that she hopes the new mayor is a great success, despite the fact she disagrees with some of his previous comments. “The mayor, bless his heart, I hope he succeeds as mayor, but I don’t agree with some of the things he has said,” she remarked.
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Mamdani has openly stated that he is a Democratic socialist and a Muslim, which has led to him facing questions concerning what he believes about Israel and whether he thinks it has a right to exist as a Jewish state. During an interview from June 2026 with ABC News, Mamdani stated that he supports Israel existing as a state with equal rights, but refuses to endorse its Jewish identity.
“I think any state that privileges one religion over the other is one that I can’t tell you I support, whether it be Israel or Saudi Arabia or anywhere else,” Mamdani commented. El-Sayed has faced similar questions as he campaigns for Michigan’s open Senate seat, going toe-to-toe with Republican candidate Mike Rogers. During an appearance in May, El-Sayed said that he has “struggled” to answer whether Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state.
The Michigan Democrat argued that the concept conflicted with liberal values Americans embrace, according to him. He also described Israel’s military action against Gaza as “genocide” and slammed the U.S. for providing military assistance to the Jewish state. This is an illustration of just how fractured the Democratic Party is as they head into the midterm elections.
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