Mamdani deletes ‘Halalflation’ post about NYC food trucks amid backlash from Laura Loomer; some laud initiative for street vendors

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani deleted a post where he appeared to celebrate ‘Halalflation’ when announcing the city was adding 10,500 street vendor licenses. The action came amid backlash from far-right political activist Laura Loomer.Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, deleted a post apparently celebrating 'Halalflation' amid backlash from Laura Loomer. (Bloomberg)“Disgusting. The Muslim Mayor of New York City is bragging about approving another 10,500 street vendor licenses for Halal food trucks,” Loomer wrote, tagging Mamdani. She added “He’s even calling it ‘Halalflation update’.”Also Read | Mamdani Struggles to Get a Handle on Homeless EncampmentsLoomer then added that Mamdani had “deleted his tweet below that I quoted after I exposed how he is discriminating against non-Muslim street food vendors.”In another post Loomer alleged, “Mamdani should be sued by the DOJ for discriminating against non-Muslim street vendors,” adding “Where is @peta? Are they ok with the Muslim Mayor of NYC adding another 10,500 Halal food trucks?”.What did Mamdani write in now-deleted post?Mamdani, in the now-deleted X post had written “Halalflation update: 1,800 mobile food vending license applications in the mail this week, our biggest batch ever. Less red tape, more white sauce.” NYC is known for several food trucks serving halal meat, with meat over rice being a go-to for many residents. Notably, The Halal Guys, which started as a cart in Manhattan has now expanded to a fast-casual restaurant franchise present in numerous American cities. Also Read | Mamdani supporters rush to defend mayor after report claims his use of NYPD gym for basketball games disrupted recruits' trainingDespite Loomer's outrage and Mamdani's choice of words to share the news, the update is not only about food truck vendor licenses. It is about all General Vendor licenses. The “new city law adds another 10,500 licenses, starting early next year. For new applicants, signup for the 2026 waitlist runs from Nov. 2 until 5 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2026,” as per the article mentioned in Mamdani's now-deleted post.Mamdani detractors critical; some laud initiative Mamdani's detractors remained critical with one writing “Why did @NYCMayor Mamdani delete his post? Was it because of his blatantly obvious preferential treatment towards one specific type of food vendor who will likely benefit the most from rules change?”. A more observant individual noted “I am no fan of Mayor Mamdani. But we are all dumber for having to see all the pearl clutching over this “Halalflation” tweet that he inexplicably later deleted. The permits aren’t going to be exclusive to Halal trucks FFS.”