Barack Obama and Zohran Mamdani may represent different generations and political climates, but their ideological similarities are striking. Obama embraced a strategy of stealth socialism, while Mamdani champions open socialism. Understanding their trajectories reveals the transformation of American politics over the past two decades.
Those familiar with Barack Obama’s background recognize his ideological roots in radical socialism and Marxist thought. In my 2012 film Dreams from My Real Father, I presented evidence that Obama was radicalized and likely fathered by Frank Marshall Davis, a Communist Party USA member who raised Obama during his formative years in Hawaii.
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When Obama emerged on the national stage in 2007, he masked his socialist ideology. Aware that open socialism would doom his presidential ambitions, he ran as a mainstream candidate.
Obama pledged to uphold the Constitution, supported traditional marriage, and claimed solidarity with Israel.
Yet, Obama’s true convictions would occasionally surface spontaneously, most notably when he spoke of “spreading the wealth around,” proposed a “civilian national security force,” and declared “we are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America”.
Once in office, Obama threw his voters under to bus to pursue his socialist agenda that no one voted for.
Enter Zohran Mamdani, a result of a Democrat party political era shaped for years by Barack Obama. At the 2021 Young Democratic Socialists of America conference, he stated, “The purpose of this entire project is not simply to raise class consciousness, but to win socialism… and elect leaders who are unapologetic about our socialism.” Today, unlike Obama, Mamdani feels no need to conceal his socialist ideology.
Let’s look at the many parallels shared by Obama and Mamdani.
Names: Both Obama and Mamdani bear foreign-sounding names unfamiliar to most Americans, symbolizing their outsider identities in U.S. politics. Incidentally, both have first names with two syllables and last names with three.
Early Childhoods: Both Obama and Mamdani experienced cross-cultural childhoods in the Global South. Their early childhoods were shaped by transnational identities that would later influence their radical politics.
Barack Obama’s early childhood was in Indonesia. At age 9 he moved to Hawaii. Mamdani’s early years in Uganda occurred in a postcolonial Africa and were shaped by an Indian diaspora identity. At age five, Mamdani’s family moved to South Africa, and then to the United States at age seven.
Accordingly, both Obama and Mamdani lacked exposure to American civics or free-market principles in their formative years.
Ties to Islam: Obama’s school records in Indonesia list Islam as his religion. Obama’s stepfather was Muslim, and he studied in Pakistan during his junior year in college (later obscured by Obama in his memoir). When running for president in 2007, Obama told the New York Times that the Muslim call to prayer was “one of the prettiest sounds on Earth.” Mamdani’s heritage is rooted in the Indian Muslim diaspora in East Africa. Though he rarely speaks publicly about Islam, his support for radical Islamic causes is evident.
Black Identity: Obama, who did not grow up in a black American community, and had no common experience with Black Americans. Seeking political support, Obama invented racial incidences in his memoir to try to impress Black voters who were skeptical about his Black authenticity.
Mamdani similarly sought to benefit from racial identity politics, checking both “Black or African American” and “Asian” on his Columbia University application.
Radical Party Affiliations: Obama was affiliated in the 1990s with the New Party in Chicago, a progressive coalition founded by activists from the Democratic Socialists of America. Records indicate he signed a membership contract and received the party’s endorsement. Obama simply denied involvement when running for president.
Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist like Bernie Sanders, joined the Democratic Socialists of America in 2017. Mamdani also ran on the socialist Working Families Party ballot and received their official endorsement for the 2025 NYC mayoral general election.
Like Obama, Mandani moved to the Democrat party ticket to seek higher office.
Position on Israel: As president, Obama’s record on Israel included repeated pressure on Israel to create a Palestinian state, and a cold relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Obama famously boycotted a speech that Netanyahu gave to Congress on March 3, 2015 and declined to meet with Netanyahu during his U.S. visit. Obama’s Iran deal (JCPOA) would have allowed Iran to achieve nuclear weapons capability within a decade.
At Bowdoin College, Mamdani co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, a group known for anti-Israel activism. He has introduced legislation to defund entities supporting Israeli settlements and was arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest in 2023. Mamdani supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Socialist Policies: Obama sought to restructure American health care through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Though marketed by Obama as simple reform, it marked a step toward government-managed health care.
Mamdani openly advocates radical socialist polices, including seizing the means of production, establishing government-run grocery stores, taxing white people more, freezing rents, abolishing billionaires, and defunding the police.
Presidential Ambitions: Mamdani cannot run for president. Having been born in Uganda, he is ineligible under the Constitution’s “natural born citizen” clause. However, some believe that didn’t stop Barack Obama from running for president.
While Barack Obama went to great lengths to deny and disguise his socialism, Obama largely transformed the Democrat party into the radical socialist party it is today. Even long time liberals like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Shumer adopted Obama’s socialist agenda, paving the way for open socialist Zohran Mamdani and others like him to unapologetically push radical socialist agendas.
Even Bernie Sanders, once seen as a fringe oddball, is now an icon of the Democratic Party. His former campaign staffers, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, now help steer the party’s direction. The Democrat party’s evolution from Obama’s stealth socialism to Mamdani’s candid radical socialism marks an ominous shift in American politics.
If Mamdani wins the mayor’s office in New York City as expected, private investment could begin to retreat, wary of policies that challenge profit motives and property rights. Real estate development might slow, as rent controls and free public housing mandates expand. High earners and businesses could seek friendlier tax climates in Florida and elsewhere, leading to a shrinking tax base. Over time, New York City services could bust under the weight of Mamdani’s redistributive programs, as ideological goals outweigh practical governance – a repeat of the historic results of socialist policies.
Joel Gilbert is a Los Angeles-based film producer and president of Highway 61 Entertainment. He is the producer of the new film Roseanne Barr Is America. He is also the producer of the films: Dreams from My Real Father and There’s No Place Like Utopia and many other films. Gilbert is on Twitter: @JoelSGilbert.
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