Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and one of his top advisers, arguing that the adviser’s public statements on private property and communism reflect the mayor’s governing philosophy.
Maher began by introducing Sia Weaver, whom he described as an influential figure in the city’s tenant protection office.
“Let me tell you about the story that liberal algorithms locked out,” Maher said. “Her name is Sia Weaver.”
He suggested that many people outside New York politics may not recognize the name despite her role in city government.
“If you ask anyone in the Bluesky bubble who that is, they’ll look at you like a turkey looking up at the rain,” Maher said.
Maher noted that Weaver serves as “Major Mondani’s chief of the office to protect tenants,” adding that the position carries significance because “Mondani’s big issue is the rent’s too damn high.”
Injecting humor, Maher added, “Yes, he stole this guy’s act.”
According to Maher, the appointment is important because of New York City’s influence.
“It’s a very key appointment in the most important city in the country, which is also our financial center,” he said.
Maher argued that the mayor’s support for Weaver raises questions about her publicly stated views.
“It matters that the mayor stands by, and I so I assume stands with someone who says things like, ‘If you don’t believe in the government’s sacred right to seize private property. It’s over. Seize private property. Homeownership is racist. Elect more communists. Private property, especially home ownership, is a weapon of white supremacy.'”
Maher challenged those statements by pointing to homeownership among Black Americans.
“Really, even among the 20 million Black Americans who own their own home?” he asked.
He also argued that the comments cannot be dismissed as youthful rhetoric.
“But these are statements made as an adult,” Maher said.
Continuing with another joke, he added, “Yes, for coeds from elite private colleges, you’re only a lesbian until graduation. But the communism lasts a lifetime.”
Maher then turned to the debate surrounding how Mamdani’s political ideology should be described.
“Democrats seem to be having this debate whether or not Mayor Mamdani is a socialist or a democratic socialist,” he said.
Maher offered his own conclusion.
“Let me settle it. He’s a straight-up communist.”
He said his assessment was based on the public comments of one of Mamdani’s advisers.
“How do I know this?” Maher asked. “Well, I’m reading between the lines when one of his major advisers says, ‘Elect more communists.'”
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