Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, is facing renewed scrutiny after a leaked 2009 Columbia University application revealed he identified as “Black or African American” despite now saying he does not consider himself Black.

The revelation, reported by The New York Times on Thursday, has raised questions about his stated background and its implications in a post-affirmative-action era.

The information reportedly originated from a leaked database of Columbia University applications compromised during a recent cyberattack targeting the Ivy League institution.

According to the Times, Mamdani—then a high school senior—checked the boxes for both “Black or African American” and “Asian” on his college application.

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He also wrote “Ugandan” in the section designated for additional background.

Despite his father, Mahmood Mamdani, serving as a professor at Columbia, Zohran Mamdani was not admitted to the university.

Now 33 years old, Mamdani told The Times that he views himself as “an American who was born in Africa.”

He defended his decision to check multiple boxes on the application, saying it was meant to reflect his “complex background” and not to manipulate the admissions process.

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“At that time, even though these boxes are constraining, I wanted my college application to reflect who I was,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani’s comments come in the wake of a 2023 Supreme Court decision that struck down the use of race-based affirmative action in college admissions.

In 2009, when he applied, Columbia—like many elite universities—used race-conscious criteria in its admissions evaluations.

According to Mamdani, he does not recall identifying as Black or African American on any other occasion apart from his college applications.

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His parents are both of Indian descent, and his father’s family has lived in East Africa for generations.

However, Mamdani clarified to The Times that there had been no intermarriage in the family with native African ethnic groups.

On the campaign trail, Mamdani has emphasized his South Asian and Muslim identity.

During a June speech at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, he also highlighted his African roots, saying, “I was born in Kampala, Uganda... I was given my middle name, Kwame, by my father, who named me after the first Prime Minister of Ghana.”

Mamdani currently serves in the New York State Assembly and identifies as a democratic socialist.

He is running for mayor of New York City in the upcoming 2025 election.

President Donald Trump referenced Mamdani during a rally on Wednesday, warning that any interference with immigration law would prompt legal consequences.

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“If he interferes with immigration laws, we’ll have to arrest him,” President Trump said.

“Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation.”

In response, Mamdani issued a statement accusing President Trump of attempting to intimidate political dissenters.

“This is an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation,” Mamdani said.

The developments add another layer of complexity to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, as issues of race, identity, and ideological alignment take center stage in the city's political discourse.

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