Democratic socialist mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani doubled down on his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel — and refused to say the country has a right to exist as a Jewish state.

Mamdani stayed firm in his support for the Palestinian-led BDS effort, calling it a "legitimate movement," during a Q&A with Democratic primary candidates hosted by the UJA-Federation of New York on Thursday evening.

"My support for BDS is consistent with my core of my politics, which is non-violence," the Queens assemblyman said when pressed by Jewish Insider’s editor-in-chief, Josh Kraushaar.

"I think that it is a legitimate movement when you are seeking to find compliance with international law," he said.

"The effectiveness of tactics of boycott, divestment and sanctions in order to motivate that compliance at the state level, on an individual level and that’s where my support for it comes from."

The state assemblyman from Queens said he believes Israel has a right to exist. But when pushed on whether it should exist as a Jewish state, he carefully sidestepped.

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"I believe Israel has a right to exist, and it has a right to exist also with equal rights for all," he said.

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialists of America-backed politician, was peppered with questions about his stance on Israel during the event from the UJA-Federation, a massive philanthropic group supporting the Jewish community.

The forum came just days after The Post unearthed a social media clip of the pro-Palestinian assemblyman leading a "BDS" chant during a May 11, 2021, anti-Israel protest.

Despite Mamdani’s open criticism of Israel, the lawmaker received a fairly warm welcome from those in attendance, according to recordings obtained by The Post, which, along with other press, was barred from entry at the door.

Those inside the event, which took place some 24 hours after a pro-Palestinian radical gunned down two innocent Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, DC, described the security as "wild," as organizers revoked the tickets of several people.

During his roughly 20-minute appearance, moderators asked Mamdani about his remarks that, if elected mayor, he would order the NYPD to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister ever set foot in the Big Apple.

"Ultimately, my position is one that I believe our city should be in compliance with international law," Mamdani said, noting the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the Israeli leader, adding that he’d have the same answer if he was asked the question about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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"What troubles me greatly is that Benjamin Netanyahu has also issued military commands from this very city when visiting it," he said.

Mamdani campaign spokesman Andrew Epstein said the candidate has been "consistent" in his beliefs regarding Israel.

"Zohran has been consistent in his belief that Israel has the right to exist, a responsibility to adhere to international law, and that he supports non-violent movements to ensure compliance with that law," Epstein said in a statement Friday.

"He was heartened by the warm reception last night to his vision for a New York that’s safe and affordable for everyone."

Mamdani, who has repeatedly come up second in the polls vying for the Democratic nomination, behind ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has recently been dogged by his anti-Israel rhetoric.

He faced blowback from the Jewish community for failing to sign onto a pair of resolutions recognizing Israel and the Holocaust, in what his campaign wrote off as a procedural error.

The revelation came just days after he got the endorsement of anti-Israel ex-"Squad" member Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the race for mayor of New York City, which is home to the largest population of Jews outside Israel.

The lawmaker also pushed the "Not On Our Dime Act," which would have stopped New York nonprofits from supporting any groups that are involved with West Bank settlements.

• President Donald Trump feted the top holders of his $Trump token on Thursday night.
• Justin Sun, the top holder of the coin, said he was presented with a $100,000 Trump-branded watch.
• A billionaire, Sun previously ran into legal troubles related to his other holdings.

Crypto billionaire Justin Sun said he received a $100,000 Trump-branded watch at President Donald Trump's meme coin dinner at at the Trump National Golf Club golf club outside of Washington DC on Thursday. The top 220 holders of the token were to invited to the event.

Photos and video of the event show Sun posing with his fellow attendees. He signed a print-out of a leaderboard showing he was first among the top 220 Trump coin holders.

Sun said he was gifted a Trump Tourbillion watch, which retails for $100,000, another of the president's private business interests that remain ongoing during his second term. The top 25 holders were treated to a more intimate reception with Trump.

"I really appreciate, like, everything the Trump administration has done to our industry," Sun said in a video that he reposted on X. "As the president said right before, so like, basically, like, 100 days ago, like, they go after crypto people like everywhere. That's impossible for us to have such beautiful events in DC."

In a separate post, Sun shared a video showing him walking into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where top White House officials work. The White House did not respond to a question about whom Sun met with.

In 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Sun with fraud, accusing him of manipulating the market for Tronix or TRX crypto. In February, after Trump took office, the SEC paused its investigation.

Sun, who Forbes estimates is worth $8.5 billion, has other ties to the Trumpworld. Before buying the meme coin, he invested $75 million in World Liberty Financial, a crypto projected connected to the president and his sons.

The White House previously said that it had nothing to do with the event. The dinner was held at Trump's private golf club outside of Washington, where he spoke from behind presidential podiums.

Trump stands to make millions off of the coin. According to the $Trump coin website, the Trump Organization and affiliated entities control 80% of the meme coin. First Lady Melania Trump has her own coin, too.

Sun has spent millions to participate in other headline-grabbing events. He shelled out $4.6 million to have lunch with Warren Buffett, $6.2 million to eat a duct-taped banana, and a staggering $28 million to fly on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin (though Sun has yet to blast off).

Representatives for the Trump Organization and Sun did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

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