By Peter Lemiska

With an important debate just around the corner, New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani decided that it was time to breach the lions’ den and appear on Fox News. It was a clever move. His interview with Martha MacCallum left most viewers with the impression that Mamdani is a gregarious, fairly reasonable candidate — not the cop-hating committed communist and anti-Semite described by President Donald Trump.

While MacCallum may be a talented and personable newscaster, most would agree that she’s not a lion. She asked all the right questions and follow-ups, but she just couldn’t peel back the smooth facade concealing Mamdani’s bizarre core beliefs and the disastrous policies he’s proposing.

Just a few years ago, when Democrats were all jumping aboard the “defund the police” movement, Mamdani was right there with them. He posted his disdain for police online, writing that the NYPD was “racist, anti-queer, & a major threat to public safety.” In another post, he referred to the NYPD as “wicked and corrupt.”

When asked about those postings, Mamdani profusely apologized. What option did he have? Afterwards, he offered some vague promise to “work with” the police if elected. Ensnared by their own words, Democrats believe that if an apology seems sincere enough, the slate is wiped clean.

Mamdani’s heartfelt apology, though, does nothing to explain away his underlying contempt for police.

He was also asked about his nonexistent résumé. “What qualifies you from your life experience to run the largest city in the country?” As assemblyman, he apparently did play a role in helping NYC taxi drivers find some debt relief from operating costs. But that gesture hardly makes him qualified to govern the largest city in the country. The guy who couldn’t even find success as a rap artist now believes he can govern a city of more than eight million people.

Rarely discussed, though, is Mamdani’s position on illegal immigrants. He promises that, in his administration, no city resources will be used for immigration enforcement. More than that, he’s pledged to provide $165 million in taxpayer monies for immigration legal defense services.

Despite all that, it’s easy to understand his appeal to New York voters.

He promises free transportation, affordable rent, and cheaper groceries simply by increasing taxes on the wealthy. Rational people know it can’t be done, but victims of conmen, often desperation for financial relief, lose their objectivity. New York voters see in Mamdani exactly what they want to see.

Besides Mamdani’s promises, there’s his engaging, charismatic personality — reminiscent of fictional characters Elmer Gantry and Professor Harold Hill. And that trademark irrepressible smile completes the package. His smile is arguably the best of all the candidates — certainly better than Cuomo’s.

Contemporary Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho probably wasn’t thinking of Mamdani when he wrote, “Hide your craziness behind a beautiful smile. That’s all you need.” But it does seem appropriate.

As for me, every time I see him, I can’t help thinking back a few decades to the popular song from 1971, “Smiling Faces Sometimes.” Of course, the song had nothing to do with current events, but its cautionary lyrics seem to fit Mamdani perfectly: “Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within.” Most of his supporters have never heard the song, but they should listen to all the lyrics. Back in those days, America was not nearly as divided as it is today. We had our differences, but were universally opposed to open borders and illegal immigration. Both major political parties considered socialism and communism as evil — enemies of democracy. Back then, we were more grounded in reality and would have wholeheartedly rejected this genial candidate with the incessant smile and the empty promises.

Of course, the bigger question is this: Why should anyone outside NYC even care about that election? Many would argue, “If New York voters want socialism, let them have it.” They might refer to that often-heard saying, “In a free country, voters get the government they deserve.”

But others do care. They hate to see fellow Americans hoodwinked by another “citizen of the world.” And there’s another reason we should all care. The last thing we need now is another Trump-hating, anti-police, anti-American politician inciting more chaos across our country, fighting our current administration and the citizens who elected it — all on behalf of foreign invaders.