New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made a Good Friday statement about sacrifice, fasting, and faith, but did not mention Jesus Christ by name, while Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) promoted legislation calling for the American flag to be flown at half-staff in recognition of Christ’s crucifixion.

Mamdani wrote on X:

Today, on Good Friday, we mark a day of sacrifice. Some New Yorkers will abstain from eating; others will spend hours without speaking.

Faith, the Bible tells us, is belief in the things unseen. That belief is what will guide so many of our neighbors in solemn reflection and reverence.

I wish all those observing Good Friday a blessed day of peace.

Good Friday is one of the holiest days in Christianity, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe died to save the world from sin. 

Erasing Jesus’ name entirely and deliberately strips Good Friday of its very purpose, reducing it to an empty observance.

Ogles, however, stated:

Just as Christians recognize, fast, and reverently participate in the life of Christ during Holy Week, America’s institutions should reflect that same reverence.

That is why I have introduced legislation to lower the US flag to half-staff on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. This would serve as a solemn reminder of Christ, who was crucified for our transgressions against a holy God.

Christ is King of America, and we should honor Him accordingly.

The Tennessee Republican’s “Good Friday Act of 2026” would amend Title 4 of the U.S. Code to provide that “The flag shall be flown at half-staff on the first Friday and Saturday after the full Moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox” — the formula used to determine the dates of Good Friday and Easter.

The contrast comes days after Mamdani marked Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31 by writing, “Today is Trans Day of Visibility. Trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people have always been here,” adding, “Your existence is not up for debate. Your lives are not a political issue. We’re fighting for a city where every trans New Yorker can live openly, safely, and with joy.” Mamdani’s remarks came two years after then-President Joe Biden designated March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility, which that year fell on Easter Sunday.

In June 2025, Ogles urged the Department of Justice to investigate whether Mamdani should face denaturalization proceedings, citing Mamdani’s “Free the Holy Land Five / My guys” lyric, which Ogles said praised individuals convicted in the Holy Land Foundation case, as well as Mamdani’s refusal to distance himself from the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Ogles wrote at the time, “Zohran ‘little muhammad’ Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be DEPORTED,” adding that Mamdani should be subjected to denaturalization proceedings. The effort drew criticism from House Democrats. 

In the Holy Land Foundation case “five former leaders of a U.S.-based Muslim charity were convicted of funneling more than $12 million to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas,” the FBI said in 2008. The “Holy Land Five” refers to them. 

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) called Ogles’ denaturalization suggestion “profoundly un-American” and described it as part of “despicable Islamophobic attacks” on Mamdani. Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) also condemned Ogles’s remarks as Islamophobic, while Susie Lee additionally described them as anti-immigrant.