Of all the people to turn against Zohran Mamdani, few saw this coming. Jane Fonda says she’s had enough of New York’s mayor.
The 88-year-old actress, who has backed progressive causes for more than half a century, ripped into Mamdani’s agenda during an interview this week. She said his policies amount to “a bridge to communism nobody voted for.”
Fonda knows the comment will surprise people. She said she doesn’t care.
Back in the 1970s, she traveled to North Vietnam to protest the war, a trip that earned her the nickname “Hanoi Jane” and made her a lifelong target for veterans and conservatives. But Fonda says the trip also taught her something she never talked about much.
“I was against the war, but what I saw over there showed me how evil communists really are,” Fonda said. “They always start out like Mamdani. Free stuff and a big smile.”
She said it scares her to see that same pattern creeping into New York. She pointed to Mamdani’s plans for city-owned grocery stores, rent freezes, free buses, and sweeping tax increases as warning signs.
“People hear ‘free’ and stop asking questions,” she said. “Somebody always pays. And it’s usually the people who can least afford it.”
Fonda said she has spoken with friends and neighbors who are worried about the direction of the city. Some, she said, have already left. Others are thinking about it.
She doesn’t plan to go anywhere. Instead, she says she’ll work hard to make sure Mamdani loses next time. She is already planning fundraisers and says she wants to help a more moderate Democrat take back City Hall.
“It’s for my city. And my party,” said Jane.
The response was mixed, to say the least. Conservatives, many of whom have spent decades criticizing Fonda, were stunned. Some praised her for finally saying what they had been saying all along. Others weren’t ready to forgive.
“Nice to see she figured it out,” one Vietnam veteran said. “Would’ve been nicer fifty years ago.”
On the left, the reaction was harsher. Mamdani’s supporters accused Fonda of fear-mongering and said she was protecting her own wealth. A progressive city council member called her remarks “a sad ending to a long career of fighting for working people.”
Mamdani himself didn’t respond directly, though his office said the mayor “remains focused on delivering for New Yorkers.”
Fonda says she’s at peace with the backlash. She has been at the center of political fights her whole life, and this one, she says, matters just as much.
“I’m not changing who I am,” she said. “I’m just paying attention.” Took her long enough.
