‘On your Marx, get set Zo’ - Murdoch group's New York Post mocks Mamdani's win with ‘Red Apple’ cover
The New York Post’s front page mocks Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory with politically charged headlines, branding him as a socialist radical. This coverage highlights the tabloid’s critical stance on Mamdani’s campaign and identity.
Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post put out a politically charged cover page reacting to Democrat Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City mayor on Tuesday, local time.
The tabloid used the headline ‘On your Marx, get set, Zo! Socialist Mamdani wins race for mayor,' as a pun on the phrase “On your marks, get set, go!” — replacing “marks” with Karl Marx, the founder of communism.
Mamdani 34, scored a resounding victory, beating former state governor Andrew Cuomo with the highest voter turnout in decades in New York Mayoral polls.
The phrase “Socialist Mamdani” highlights his self-identification as a democratic socialist. The Post, however, uses it in a mocking tone — suggesting he’s a radical leftist in the Marxist sense.
“The Big Apple” is New York City’s nickname. By calling it “The Red Apple,” the Post is implying that with Mamdani’s victory, New York has turned politically red — but not in the American conservative sense. The “red” here refers to communism or socialism, reinforced by the hammer-and-sickle symbol behind Mamdani.
This visual exaggeration suggests the Post views his win as the rise of socialist ideology in New York City.
‘Big Apple’s first Muslim’
“The Uganda-born Mamdani will be the Big Apple’s first Muslim, first South Asian and first socialist mayor, as well as one of the youngest. The apparent mayor-elect marked his victory with a social media video showing subway doors opening and proclaiming, “Next stop is City Hall,” the Post wrote in the piece.
Rupert Murdoch bought the New York Post in 1976 and has been influential in shaping its modern identity as a tabloid with a conservative editorial stance
The Post has been highly critical in its coverage of Mamdani’s campaign, particularly highlighting his “radical” or “socialist” platform, his immigrant and Muslim identity, and campaign-finance and branding controversies.
The Post reported that Mamdani’s campaign accepted at least 170 donations from abroad, some of which it said were illegal under US, state or city law. It ran headlines that link Mamdani to terrorism, such as “WEAPONS OF HAMAS DESTRUCTION.”
In another report, the Post highlights Mamdani’s reluctance to specifically condemn Hamas, with the headline: “Zohran Mamdani refuses to denounce Hamas after Netanyahu vows to eradicate terrorists”.