New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) is wasting no time and already doubling down on his “mandate for change” to freeze rents, provide universal child care, and tax the rich. Sadly, a bare majority of the vote, 50.39%, is barely a mandate in my opinion.

I recognize a Marxist when I hear one. And Zohran Mamdani isn’t a democratic socialist — he is a communist.

He is anti-America, bent on destroying our economic prosperity, our borders, our children’s education, our security, and everything we hold dear. Mamdani considers “violence” a social construct, favoring criminals over law-abiding citizens. He wants to raise taxes, crush small businesses, replace hard work with handouts, personal responsibility with government dependency, and freedom with fear.

For Mamdani, as for Karl Marx, socialism is the road to the communist destination. Like Marx, Mamdani believes our rights come from government, not God, and that government should replace the individual conscience with the will of the state.

It was the young voters who powered Mamdani to victory, with nearly four out of five voting for the socialist. But many young Americans have never experienced the realities of Marxism. Their naive perspectives are shaped by an indoctrinated education, political discourse, social movements, and media narratives, which present a skewed, idealized vision of the dangerous ideology.

People in Russia, Cambodia, North Korea, Cuba, and Romania saw these dangers become reality too late and endured under communism for generations. China is still a one-party state ruled by the iron fist of the Chinese Communist Party.

Mamdani’s policies are already creating a mass exodus from Gotham. According to a recent survey, some 2.1 million New York City residents (25% of New York City’s population) say they are now “seriously considering” moving.

Before communism came to Romania, the capital, Bucharest, was called “little Paris.” After communism, poverty was everywhere. Supermarket shelves sat empty, while state-sponsored news sang the praises of dictator “President” Nicolae Ceausescu. Propaganda flooded the airwaves and newsstands to highlight cultural achievements that resulted from the communists coming to power.

Our school curriculum was heavily censored and became an indoctrination tool. We were forced to sing songs about Ceausescu as “the hero of heroes” and “defender of our freedom.” Religious and private schools were extinguished, and Romanian history was rewritten to emphasize the merits of the communist leaders.

The fate of anyone who questioned the regime was in the hands of the Securitate (the dictator’s secret police). Many would be killed or just disappear.

Three generations of Romanians lived under Ceausescu’s authoritarian regime. Today, the effects of communism persist, and the pain inflicted upon the people and the disintegration of the Romanian nation linger.

These historical examples illustrate how anti-capitalist movements such as Mamdani’s, motivated by “ideals of equality and social justice,” lead to authoritarian outcomes when power becomes concentrated and dissent is suppressed. The risks associated with such movements underscore the importance of maintaining democratic principles, civil liberties, and checks and balances in any effort to pursue systemic change.

If socialism can take over New York, it can take over any city in America. We ignore it at our own peril because socialism is on the rise in America as “democratic socialist” candidates pop up across the country.

It’s time to reject the lies of socialism. Lies that promote heaven but deliver hell; promises of equality but make us poor and dependent on the government.

I came to America in 1988, unable to speak the language, with no money, no friends. But with God’s help, I rebuilt my life. America is the best country in the world. Time to stop a Marxist like Mamdani from destroying it.

Virginia Prodan is an international human rights attorney, best-selling author of the memoir “Saving My Assassin,” host of the “Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan” podcast show, and a highly sought-after keynote speaker, writer, and interview guest.