Donald Trump has warned he would pull federal funding from New York City if mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani “doesn’t behave himself”. In an interview aired on Sunday, the former president said he would block money from reaching the city if Mamdani wins and refuses to “do the right thing”.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, recently won the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in a major political upset.
Speaking to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, Trump called Mamdani’s win “inconceivable” and described him as “a pure communist”. “If he does get in, I’m going to be president, and he’s going to have to do the right thing, or they’re not getting any money. He’s got to do the right thing or they’re not getting any money,” Trump said. Last year, New York’s comptroller reported that more than $100 billion in federal money flows to the city through various programs and agencies.
In response, Mamdani said plainly, “No, I am not,” when asked if he was a communist during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press. He said Trump’s attacks are aimed at distracting voters, “He will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I’m from, who I am – ultimately because he wants to distract from what I’m fighting for.”
The 32-year-old lawmaker has proposed increasing taxes on wealthy homeowners and shifting the burden away from middle- and working-class areas.
“I don’t think that we should have billionaires. It is so much money in a moment of such inequality… What we need more of is equality across our city,” he said.
Mamdani pointed to Martin Luther King Jr’s message on wealth distribution as part of his political vision, “Call it democracy or call it democratic socialism. There has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children in this country.” He added that his plan isn’t based on race but on economic fairness. “It’s more of an assessment of what neighbourhoods are being undertaxed versus overtaxed. It’s to ensure we have an equal playing field,” he said.
When asked about Mamdani’s opposition to Trump’s immigration policies and his call to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York, Trump said the mayoral hopeful would “be very unsuccessful” and labelled him “a radical left lunatic”.
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