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... President Donald Trump calls him a "communist." His critics say he wants to defund the police. Zohran Mamdani insists he's just a guy trying to make New York City more affordable.

Mamdani s meteoritic rise to become the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor has put his past and present policy positions under close scrutiny. If elected, he would be the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor. He'd be the city's most liberal mayor in generations.

But as he tries to broaden his support ahead of the November election, the state lawmaker has shifted more to the center on certain issues -- while distancing himself from other potentially damaging political stances. ...

Here's where he actually stands:

He's a democratic socialist, not a communist

While Trump and other opponents keep calling Mamdani a communist, he identifies as something different: a democratic socialist. He believes government should play a role in reducing economic disparity, but he doesn't advocate for a communist system where property is collectively owned. ...