New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was not invited to speak at the July 31, 2026 funeral for Army Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad, relegated to the fourth row while other officials delivered remarks. Sources reported the family chose to exclude him due to his progressive political stances and support for avoiding political distractions.
Army Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad was laid to rest in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, New York on Friday. New York state Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks during the funeral at Calvary Assembly of God church, as did Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and other government officials. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, however, remained in his seat.
Mamdani, 34, reportedly had remarks ready to go and was looking them over on a tablet before realizing that his name was not going to be called to speak. “Then he looked over at his staff, frustrated and seemed angry that he didn’t speak. When he realized his name wasn’t being called, he looked at his staff angrily and then eventually put his tablet away,” claimed another of the Post’s sources.
Since his mother said he doesn’t identify as American, that seems appropriate.
Rampersand was killed by an Iranian missile attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17 along with three other US soldiers.
He shared the remarks he planned to give and they seemed appropriate, but he’s not appropriate. He should have honored the family’s wishes and kept his speech to himself.
