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Robert Kraft jokingly explained at a gathering of the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate on Thursday how the New York Jets are not one of his favorites, because he owns the rival New England Patriots. But he wants the best for New York City, anyway, and the election of Zohran Mamdani is not something Kraft is happy about.
"It's sad to me that a man can get elected in the city of New York, the No. 1 city in America, with a lot of beliefs, and when I heard him come out and speak after he won, I thought he was going to be more of a unifier. I think he spoke out in a way that showed divisiveness," Kraft said in an exclusive interview with FOX News and Outkick.
"And that really hurt me."
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(Left) New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on the field before a game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Oct. 5, 2025. (Right) New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images; Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
Kraft Problem With Mamdani Speech
Mamdani's victory speech was something off some Marxist dictator's teleprompter, trumpeting a new day on which one class of people vanquished another.
And witness the first line of Mamdani's speech: "The sun may have set over our city this evening, but as Eugene Debs once said: "I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity."
Eugene Debs was an avowed Marxist who was the founding member and five-time presidential candidate of the Socialist Party of America from 1900 to 1920.
"New York will remain a city of immigrants — a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant," Mamdani bellowed during his speech.
Left unsaid here? New York was built by immigrants such as Italians, Irish and lately, Hispanics, many of whom assimilated into the fabric of the city and eventually became woven into the culture. It wasn't a bunch of outsiders who took over and established their socialist empire.
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference in the Queens borough of New York, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
Mamdani Rhetoric Not In USA's Interest
Mamdani framed his victory as a generational shift in which one younger group takes power from another older group that is now less important. And, reading between the lines, he declared a cultural and financial war on those who don't share his vision.
"We won," he said, "because we insisted that no longer would politics be something that is done to us. Now, it is something that we do."
Much of this is concerning to Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots.
"I mean, he's tapped into something and touched something that people under 30 or 35 who, haven't really experienced the world, but feel that America's not living up to certain values," Kraft said. "We should pay attention to that.
"But not to the divisiveness and hate and, really, things that aren't in America's best interest.
"And it's a little sad for me to see that happen in the year 2025," Kraft continued. "We have to find a way to get a better understanding and educate the people who think they're solving a problem, but creating a bigger problem."
Kraft was obviously referring to Mamdani's voters.
Robert Kraft introduces Mike Vrabel as head coach of the New England Patriots during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Mamdani: No Support For Jewish State
Mamdani has declined to explicitly affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. During multiple debates he was asked, "Do you believe in a Jewish state of Israel?"
His answer: "I believe that Israel has a right to exist as a state with equal rights."
This is the kind of antisemitism that Kraft's Blue Square Alliance Against Hate wants to expose.
On the second anniversary of the Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Mamdani wrote one sentence on social media decrying the Hamas attack. And three paragraphs accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry and multiple conservative politicians and media condemned Mamdani's anniversary statement. The Israelis said the statement normalizes antisemitism.
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New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates as he takes the stage at his election night watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount on November 4, 2025, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Mamdani defeated Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in the closely watched election for New York City mayor. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty)
October 7 Derailed Abraham Accords
Kraft, like many Americans, is an unashamed supporter of Israel. And he believes the October 7th attack by Hamas was a mission to bring discord in the Middle East that would prevent Israel from normalizing peace with its Arab neighbors.
"The state of Israel represents the values of America and the western world and is actually doing the hard things to try to protect America … We have aligned interests there," Kraft said.
"We know all the moderate Arab regimes want to become part of the Abraham accords. That's why October 7th happened. They wanted to derail the efforts. Saudi Arabia was about to close a deal with [Israel].
"I don't understand why people have so much hatred and evil in them when we're talking about different ways to respect the Lord and honor God and have prayer. Everyone should be free to do it the way they want."
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