New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani confirmed that former President Barack Obama called him after his Democratic primary win in June. (Getty Images)
The democratic socialist said he is "lucky" to have an example in the former president of how to rise above the barrage of criticism that has been thrown his way on the campaign trail.
During an anti-Trump stop on Staten Island on Wednesday, Mamdani was told to "go back to where you came from" and called a "commie" by some protesters outside his event.
"I know that those New Yorkers are representative just of themselves. And yet, sadly, that is what politics has become for far too many," Mamdani said.
Mamdani answered a follow-up question about his discussion with Obama during the final stop on his anti-Trump tour across New York City in Queens on Friday.
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani closed out his "Five Boroughs Against Trump" tour across New York City in Queens on Friday. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
The details of Obama's call to Mamdani were first reported by The New York Times on Wednesday.
According to the reporting, Obama congratulated Mamdani, offered him advice about governing, and the two discussed the importance of hope during a dark time politically, citing people with knowledge of the conversation.
The report also details how Obama's former aides, including the "Obama Bros" of "Pod Save America," Jon Favreau and Dan Pfieffer, have been in communication with Mamdani's Democratic strategist, Morris Katz.
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Obama has built a reputation since leaving office in 2016 for his strategic participation in politics.
The news about his call to Mamdani broke as ABC News reported this week that Obama praised a group of Texas Democrats for fleeing the state to avoid voting for an ever-controversial Trump-backed redistricting bill, calling it "inspiring."
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdani-recalls-obama-call-about-darkness-politics-after-nyc-primary-victory