House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wants to know more about the positions of New York mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani, including his refusal to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada," according to The Hill.

Jeffries confirmed he will be meeting with Mamdani, outlining in an interview with ABC some of the items he wants to talk about. When asked by the network about Mamdani's lack of criticism for Hamas and defense of the term "globalize intifada," the House Democrat leader said, "Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrase, and he is gonna have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward with respect to the Jewish communities."

Jeffries said anyone representing the Democratic Party to lead New York City would need to be clear on his or her position about the safety of the city's Jewish residents. "Our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development."

Jeffries congratulated the self-described democratic socialist for his Democrat primary win in the city's mayoral contest. But Jeffries stopped short of endorsing the New York state assemblyman, saying he needs to have a conversation with Mamdani about many of his beliefs on how he wants to run the city.

At the top of the list, said Jeffries, is fighting crime in New York, because a mayor has "got to commit to the safety and well-being of all of the people."

President Donald Trump posted about Mamdani, calling him a "Communist Lunatic." Jeffries reposted Trump's comment and told the president to calm down. "Stop lying about Assemblyman Mamdani. He is neither a communist nor a lunatic. And New York City doesn't need to be saved by a wannabe King."

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo lost to Mamdani by 10 points in the city's ranked choice primary voting ahead of the November election. Cuomo has been reviewing the option of running as an independent, with some sources indicating his announcement could come this week.

• Cuomo to Run as Independent, Wants Spoilers to Step Out
• Rudy Giuliani to Newsmax: Mamdani Must Be Stopped