'She Has Made Her Hatred for America Evident': Zohran Mamdani's Wife Rama Duwaji Blasted for Fleeing Country Over July 4th Weekend

Rama Duwaji has been blasted over claims that she flew to Spain for an Islamic 'spiritual wellness' retreat during the July 4th weekend, while New York marked America 250 and her husband, Zohran Mamdani, stayed in the city. The criticism, led by Republican council members and conservative commentators, has turned a personal trip into a political flashpoint in New York.

Rama Duwaji and the July 4 Trip

Duwaji was seen on Monday at Newark International Airport before boarding a flight to Palma, Mallorca, for a sold-out retreat run by The Women Sanctuary. The retreat listed on the organisation's website, 'Plants Ofs Of The Quran | 6th Edition,' took place in Mallorca from 1 to 6 July 2026 and was marked sold out.

Duwaji was described as one of the event's hosts and the organisation's 'artist in residence.' The trip drew immediate attention because it coincided with America's semiquincentennial celebrations, a moment that was always going to attract political noise, and plenty of it was the loud, predictable kind.

Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola said, 'Nothing says America 250 quite like skipping the celebration for a Mediterranean vacation, but I am not surprised because she has made her hatred for America very evident.'

Critics Turn up the Heat

Councilman Frank Morano, quoted by a report, said it was 'disappointing' that the First Lady was overseas rather than at one of the city's biggest civic moments this year. He also argued that the issue was not whether Duwaji was allowed to travel, but whether she should have appeared at events in New York during the 250th anniversary celebrations.

Nobody has suggested she was barred from travelling, only that the optics were awkward, and in politics optics can be half the battle. Conservative commentator Arynne Wexler added to the pile-on by posting photos on X that appeared to show Duwaji at a United Airlines gate and criticising the timing of the trip.

Wexler also mocked Zohran Mamdani's earlier advice to New Yorkers to lower their air conditioning use, saying on X that while he was urging restraint, his wife was boarding a flight to Mallorca. It was the kind of social media jab that spreads fast because it is built for outrage, not nuance.

What the Retreat Was About

The Women Sanctuary's website describes the Mallorca programme as a retreat focused on plants mentioned in the Quran, including olives, pomegranates, dates and figs, with workshops, meals and spiritual reflection. The listed event is sold out, and the organisation also advertises another retreat, 'Mary Iny In The Quran | 2nd Edition,' in Corsica later this month thewomensanctuary.

The retreat was reportedly part of a broader spiritual and artistic offering, rather than a political event or public campaign stop. That has not stopped critics from framing the trip as symbolic, which, in this sort of story, is usually the whole game.

Mamdani's office said that Duwaji was not accompanied by officers assigned to the couple's taxpayer-funded NYPD detail. It had reached out to the mayor's office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Mamdani Stayed in New York

Mamdani remained in New York during the holiday week and the city's America 250 events. His office said on 1 July that New York was expanding cooling centres, extending pool hours and asking businesses and residents to set thermostats to 78 degrees during peak demand as a heat wave bore down on the city.

Duwaji's trip landed at exactly the moment her husband was tied to a local response effort, and while there is no suggestion she was meant to be at every civic event, the timing was always going to look, well, a bit mad to his critics.

It also leaves the larger question hanging in the air: Was this simply a private trip by the mayor's spouse, or a tone-deaf move during one of the biggest patriotic weekends of the year? In Washington, New York and on social media, that answer is never left alone for long.