New York City's Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani just keeps collecting L's like they're limited edition trading cards, and the latest one came at the funeral of a fallen U.S. Army sergeant.
As Conservative Brief reported, Mamdani showed up to the Friday funeral service for Army Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad in Queens, sat down with his iPad full of prepared remarks, and then proceeded to watch everyone else take the podium while he warmed the pew. The family of Sgt. Rampersad reportedly chose to keep Mamdani off the speakers list to prevent what a source described as "political distractions." Imagine being so politically toxic that a grieving family specifically requests you just sit there and be quiet.
Sgt. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, was one of three American service members killed during an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17. The other fallen service members were 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. All three were deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the international mission against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Rampersad served as a Signal Operations Support Specialist with the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, stationed in Ansbach, Germany.
Governor Kathy Hochul did get to speak at the ceremony, telling mourners she felt Rampersad "could be one of my daughters." Other speakers included state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr., Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and Ozone Park Residents Block Association President Sam Esposito. You know things are rough when the local block association president outranks you on the speaking roster.
According to the New York Post, Mamdani was spotted reviewing his prepared remarks on his iPad while dignitaries addressed the congregation, apparently still holding out hope someone would call his name. Spoiler alert: nobody did. One attendee told the paper that the mayor looked "frustrated and seemed angry" when it became obvious he was getting skipped. He reportedly glared at members of his staff before finally putting away the tablet containing his unused speech.
A source familiar with the situation told the Post that Rampersad's family is politically conservative and supportive of President Donald Trump, which probably explains why having the city's Democratic Socialist mayor deliver remarks was not exactly at the top of their priority list.
After the service, Mamdani's office went ahead and released the remarks he had planned to deliver anyway, because nothing says "reading the room" quite like publishing the speech nobody wanted to hear. In those remarks, he planned to honor Rampersad's sacrifice, noting she "gave every one" of her tomorrows "so that we could have ours."
Neither Mamdani's office nor the Rampersad family have officially confirmed the reasoning behind the decision. But honestly, when a Gold Star family tells you to take a seat, you take a seat. The backlash against Mamdani from New Yorkers continues to grow as residents increasingly push back against his governing approach. Getting benched at a funeral is just the latest chapter.
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