While Democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used America’s 250th birthday to criticize capitalism, ICE, and what he described as an “arena of supremacy,” his wife, Rama Duwaji, spent the nation’s milestone celebration thousands of miles away at a luxury Islamic spiritual retreat in Spain. Duwaji departed from Newark Liberty International Airport earlier this week for Mallorca, a Mediterranean island off of the western coast of Spain. Far from simply vacationing abroad, Duwaji is serving as the artist-in-residence and one of the featured hosts for the sold-out Women’s Sanctuary retreat. Attendance costs roughly $3,400 per guest. The program centers on “Plants of the Quran” through art, botanical workshops, and Islamic spiritual reflection. She is also scheduled to help host a second sold-out retreat in Corsica later this month exploring “Mary in the Quran.” Funny how when @ZohranKMamdani was telling New Yorkers to lower their AC his wife Rama Duwaji was boarding a flight to party in Mallorca Reminder that I can’t tag her because she deleted her account after her insanely offensive tweets were discovered Champagne socialists pic.twitter.com/aD1XmiMXNe — Arynne Wexler (@ArynneWexler) July 3, 2026 The timing of the trip drew criticism as Americans celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary over the Fourth of July weekend. Republican New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola told the New York Post the decision reflected poorly on the city’s first family. “Nothing says ‘America 250’ quite like skipping the celebration for a Mediterranean vacation,” Ariola said. “I am not surprised because she has made her hatred for America very evident.” Councilman Frank Morano similarly criticized the optics, “it’s disappointing that the First Lady chose to be overseas instead of taking part in one of the biggest civic events our city and country will mark this year,” Morano said. “No one is saying elected officials and their families can’t take vacations, but this was a moment to show up for the city and for the country.” The Mayor’s Office declined to respond directly to the criticism but confirmed Duwaji was not accompanied by officers assigned to the family’s NYPD security detail. The trip also renewed scrutiny of Duwaji’s past social media activity. Earlier this year, deleted posts resurfaced in which Duwaji criticized the United States and American foreign policy. In one post, she shared a message claiming American soldiers “are not brave” and accused them of “slaughtering 3rd world civilians” in pursuit of American hegemony. Other deleted posts reportedly praised Palestinian militant organizations and criticized U.S. support for Israel. Mamdani previously defended his wife, arguing she should not be judged by past social media activity because she holds no official role in his administration. Duwaji later apologized for a number of the posts. Her overseas retreat came as the mayor himself marked the nation’s semi-quincentennial with a speech that focused less on the country’s founding than on what he views as its present shortcomings. Speaking from behind George Washington’s former desk at New York City Hall, Mamdani criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policy, condemned economic inequality, and argued that America had become “an arena of supremacy.” “We see masked agents terrorizing our streets,” Mamdani said, referring to ICE officers, while also criticizing what he described as monopolies and oligarchs controlling the nation’s wealth. Although Mamdani concluded his remarks by saying “God bless America,” much of the speech centered on America’s failures rather than the anniversary being commemorated. The mayor later participated in several official America 250 events in New York, including the Parade of Sail and a Fourth of July lighting ceremony at the Empire State Building, while Duwaji remained overseas.