Ever since Donald Trump entered the political arena, he's been a polarizing figure—not just on the left, but within conservative circles as well. A vocal segment of right-leaning commentators, convinced Trump's populist movement betrayed core conservative principles, broke ranks with the Republican Party and essentially became Democratic operatives. Embraced by the liberal media establishment, these self-proclaimed "principled conservatives" abandoned their supposed values and spent years parroting left-wing talking points while claiming the moral high ground.
What the heck happened to them?
I’ve said before that I wasn’t a big fan of Donald Trump back in 2016 myself. But my conservative values didn’t change, and ultimately, when Trump won, I quickly learned that Trump was the leader the Republican Party desperately needed. Even if I ended up still not liking Trump, you never would have seen me become a useful tool of the left. But sadly, many on the right have. And for some, it’s not just about being anti-Trump conservative or Republican, but also even pro-Democrat and, even more bizarrely, pro-socialist. It’s as if their hatred of Trump burned so hot that it melted away every shred of conservative principle they once claimed to have.
You can imagine my surprise when I found out that in a new interview with The Forum, Bill Kristol, the former Weekly Standard editor—who has spent the last several years reinventing himself as an anti-Trump conservative—openly expressed admiration for none other than left-wing radical Zohran Mamdani, the avowed socialist New York lawmaker now running for mayor.
The same man who once championed hawkish foreign policy and staunchly defended Israel now says he would “probably” vote for Mamdani,
“I think a lot of the younger Democrats are quite impressive,” Kristol said, before naming moderate Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill as examples. Then came the shocking twist: “Part of my core praise for Mamdani has been that, you know what, if we elect three Democrats who win in November—the three big races, really—and it’s Spanberger or Sherrill and Mamdani? That’s okay.”
That’s okay?
Look, I have my issues with his supporting Spanberger and Sherril, too. But to lump in Mamdani—a man who has compared Israel to apartheid South Africa and called for “abolishing capitalism”—as part of the same acceptable Democratic slate is jaw-dropping, and I can't wrap my head around it.
Kristol even downplayed Mamdani’s radicalism, brushing off concerns about his hostility toward Israel and his socialist economics. “I wish they were a little less tolerant of certain things—on Israel, and so, against Israel and all that,” he said with an almost dismissive shrug. “Some of the economic stuff, I think, is just silly, but I don’t think it’s going to matter.”
When asked whether he would actually vote for Mamdani if he lived in New York, Kristol didn’t hesitate. “You know, I think so,” he admitted. “The idea of going back to Cuomo is just, I think, ridiculous.” He even mocked New York’s business community for rallying behind the former governor, calling them “pathetic.”
Where is all this coming from? I used to believe that people like Bill Kristol—and others on the right who couldn’t stomach Trump—would eventually find their way back to the conservative fold once he left office. But at this point, I honestly don’t see how that’s possible.
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I mean, come on, Kristol actually launched into a bizarre defense of Mamdani’s socialist ideas, saying the candidate’s government-run grocery store plan “won’t destroy” New York. “He’s gonna set up five silly government-run grocery stores, I guess,” Kristol said. “It’ll be a little bit of a waste of taxpayer money, you know? Or it’ll be harmless.”
That’s not the voice of a principled conservative temporarily disillusioned by Trump. That’s the voice of someone who’s gone completely native inside the Democratic echo chamber—someone so desperate to stay relevant in left-wing circles that he’s now defending socialism as “harmless.”
Mamdani’s platform isn’t harmless—it’s an unvarnished blueprint for turning America’s largest city into a socialist laboratory. Yet Kristol, who once styled himself as a moral compass for conservatism, now dismisses any concern as “hysterical.” “He’s a very impressive politician,” Kristol insisted, though conceding, “I don’t know that he’s going to be a very good mayor. He’s 33 years old, he’s never run anything.”
That a man of Kristol’s background and intellect—and faith—could shrug off Mamdani’s radical anti-Israel record is beyond comprehension. For years, Kristol’s brand was that of a principled conservative standing against moral relativism and foreign-policy naïveté. Now he’s excusing precisely the kind of far-left extremism he once warned would destroy our country.
