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NYC First Lady Rama Duwaji Apologizes for Harmful Teen Posts in First Interview

Her comment leaves disputed posts about praising Palestinian militants unaddressed.

Overview

  • Duwaji, in an interview published Wednesday by Hyperallergic, said she felt "a lot of shame" and apologized for using harmful language as a teenager.
  • She did not specify which posts she was referring to, and a spokesperson declined to clarify after reporters asked which comments she regretted.
  • Reports highlighted slurs, a 2015 message saying Tel Aviv "shouldn’t exist," and Tumblr reposts praising figures tied to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, with accounts later deleted or deactivated.
  • The Washington Free Beacon said it linked the old X and Tumblr accounts to Duwaji with facial recognition, while Newsweek said it could not independently verify the accounts.
  • Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called his wife a private person with no role in City Hall and condemned unrelated extremist rhetoric by an author she illustrated for, as scrutiny continues over his outreach to Jewish communities.