NY GOP candidate torches Columbia group over ‘Death to America’ post, tells them to ‘get the f--- out’
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican frontrunner for governor, targets pro-Palestinian group after post following reported killing of Iran's supreme leader
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican frontrunner for governor, blasted a pro-Palestinian Columbia University student group after it posted "Death to America" in Farsi following the reported killing of Iran’s supreme leader.
"To the Columbia University Students and Faculty who posted ‘Death to America’ — I have one message for you — Get the f--- out," Blakeman said in a video message obtained by Fox News Digital.
The controversy quickly spilled into the race against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, with Blakeman arguing progressive leaders in New York have failed to confront what he calls rising anti-American extremism at elite universities.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}STEFANIK TO RELEASE NEW BOOK ON COLLEGE ANTISEMITISM AS SHE EYES BID FOR NY GOVERNOR
A demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in Tehran protesting Israel's attacks. (Atta Kenare/Getty Images)
Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) — which is not recognized by the university administration — describes itself as a coalition of student organizations that view a Palestinian state as "the vanguard for our collective liberation" and says it is a continuation of the Vietnam-era anti-war movement.
The group tweeted "Marg bar Amrika" — or "Death to America" — on Saturday after Khamenei was killed. X has since taken down the post.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The development infuriated Blakeman, who is now the top name in the GOP field following the withdrawal of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
Blakeman called the situation "disgusting" in a statement and urged immediate action against the student group.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Let’s be clear: this isn’t activism. It’s extremism and incites terror. American universities exist because of the freedoms, protections, and opportunities this country provides," Blakeman said.
"At Columbia University, something has gone seriously wrong for many years."
After the tweet disappeared, CUAD wrote that the social media platform forced the group to delete it to regain access to its account.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives to cast his vote during the 2024 presidential election. (Sobhan Farajvan/Pacific Press/LightRocket)
"[B]ut the sentiment still stands," they wrote, according to the New York Post, which reported the follow-up before X again deleted the post.
The group called Khamenei’s death "devastating news" and said their "hearts are with the Iranian people [who] have every right to defend [themselves] against Zionist warfare."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As the university ultimately reiterated that it does not recognize the organization, CUAD wrote on X that it has "no affiliation… with the fascist state functionary known as Columbia University."
"We operate completely outside of the purview of a registered student organization and are proud not to receive any recognition from that institution," said the group, which also organized the tent-filled anti-Israel "sit-in" protests of 2024 in part with Mahmoud Khalil.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivers a televised message in Tehran on June 26, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA)
Khalil, a Syrian-born master’s graduate of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, was held by the Trump administration at an immigration facility in Louisiana in the wake of the encampment controversy until a federal judge ordered him released.
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A Columbia University statement to the Post read in part that CUAD is "illegally using the Columbia name."
In response to Blakeman's suggestions that the governor has insufficiently responded to antisemitic incidents in the state, Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki told Fox News Digital the governor has "always stood up for Jewish New Yorkers."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"From launching a nation-leading plan to combat antisemitism across New York State, to cracking down on antisemitism on college campuses, to investing millions to ensure New Yorkers remain safe at their houses of worship," he said.
"‘100% MAGA’ Bruce Blakeman’s baseless attacks are yet another sign that his attempts to bring Trump’s cost-raising agenda to New York are already wearing thin," Radulovacki said.
A Hochul campaign aide followed up by pointing out Hochul’s official "Statewide Plan to Combat Antisemitism" — which is the first of any state.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hochul has also invested in physical security at vulnerable sites and conducted evaluations of state-funded universities’ discrimination policies to ensure New Yorkers of all faiths on campus are protected, the aide said.