In a special episode of Talk To Al Jazeera, Mamdani stated that the United States government is capable of spending up to $900 million a day on war, while simultaneously telling working families that investments in healthcare, housing, and education are unrealistic. "We are talking about a war that has killed thousands of civilians. We are spending tens of billions of dollars to kill people. Money that could ease the lives of workers," he said. Mamdani framed the issue as both economic and moral, emphasizing the broader societal impact. "At the core of every war is dehumanization. And dehumanization never remains confined to war. When you normalize killing abroad, you normalize cruelty at home," he stated. He also pointed to a recent incident where a young Muslim woman was attacked on a subway platform, claiming the attacker mentioned civilian casualties in Iran. "This is the dehumanization we allow to spread in our country," Mamdani added. The mayor also highlighted growing domestic opposition to the conflict. "There is deep opposition to this war… not just procedural or political, but sincere, moral," he said, adding that the war is "deeply unpopular" due to human casualties and financial burden. Questioning fiscal priorities, Mamdani remarked, "The very issues I often talk about… are dismissed as impossible or unrealistic. Yet, they would cost only a fraction of the tens of billions spent on this war." When asked if the scale of daily war spending is frustrating, he responded, "It should frustrate all of us." Echoing a sentiment popularized by Tupac Shakur, Mamdani added, "We always have money for war, but not to feed the poor."