Jeffries declines to endorse Mamdani, says they will meet after Uganda trip

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries says he is still not ready to endorse Zohran Mamdani's bid to become mayor of New York City.

Jeffries made the statement during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Monday, telling reporters that he is still weighing the decision. Mamdani, a self-professed socialist, has become a lightning rod for attacks from Republicans since he secured the Democratic Party's nomination.

"We agreed to reconvene with other members of the [New York] delegation and high-level community leaders in Brooklyn upon his return to the country," he said.

Mamdani met with Jeffries in Brooklyn on Friday as the candidate seeks endorsements from New York's most prominent Democrats.

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"As has been the case with every single high-profile endorsement decision that I've made in the past, I have a sit-down conversation, and then I take it from there," Jeffries told reporters prior to the meeting.

Mamdani has since left the country for a trip to Uganda, saying he is celebrating his marriage with extended family there.

"And since you will undoubtedly read about this trip in the New York Post, inshallah [Arabic for God willing], on the front page, here are a few of my humble suggestions for headlines," Mamdani said, jabbing at the New York-based newspaper.

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He proposed tabloid headlines in a post on social media, including "M.I.A.? Mandani in Africa," "Uganda Miss Me," or "He's Kampala-etely Crazy," a reference to Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. 

"Zo-Running Away?" Mamdani said, offering one last imagined headline before the video showed himself and another campaign supporter waving to the camera and the screen fading to "Zohran for Mayor."

Mamdani holds dual U.S. and Ugandan citizenship. He was born in Uganda and was raised in South Africa until moving to New York City at age 7. 

He owns four acres of undeveloped land in Jinja, Uganda, that's valued between $150,000 and $250,000, the New York Post previously reported, citing Mamdani's 2024 New York Legislative Ethics filing.