Representative Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) mocked New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Mornings with Maria, comparing him to the character Zohan from Adam Sandler's 2008 comedy film You Don't Mess with the Zohan.
"I cannot believe that New York is about to elect Adam Sandler, the hairdresser, as mayor of one of the world's greatest cities," said Rep. Patronis.
Mamdani's platform has quickly garnered fierce criticism from the right, as he plans to institute rent control, provide no-cost childcare, defund the police, and establish city-run grocery stores.
Host Maria Bartiromo asked Rep. Patronis which of Mamdani's proposed policies would be "the most damning" for New York, to which he replied that it would be defunding the police.
"One thing that I learned in eight years as a state CFO [chief financial officer] and in the restaurant business for 30 years," the Florida Congressman began, adding, "you do not get quality businesses, good schools, or great communities unless it is safe. And if you do not have a robust safety net that is appreciated in your communities, you will not have those investments."
After all, he continued, "When you have leadership at the top in, say, New York City, that says, 'I am going to defund the police,' you know what? I do not want to invest there, so I am going to leave with my money."
He further noted that once the investors leave, so too do the new job opportunities for families, as Patronis pointed out, with Florida having received 400,000 new residents in 2024 alone.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) made a similar observation while mocking Mamdani in a post to X (formerly Twitter), which Bartiromo shared at the beginning of the discussion.
"Just when you thought Palm Beach real estate couldn’t go any higher…" Rep. DeSantis posted.
