US President Donald Trump stated that providing federal funding to New York City would be challenging for him if Zohran Mamdani were elected mayor. Trump referred to Mamdani as a "Communist" and expressed concern that federal funds would be "wasted." Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, has rejected the "Communist" label. The remarks come as opinion polls indicate Mamdani leading his main rival, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, ahead of an upcoming vote.
Trump's Statements on Funding
President Trump indicated that he would be disinclined to provide significant federal funding to New York City if Zohran Mamdani, a candidate for mayor, were elected. In a television interview, Trump stated, "It's gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there."
The Trump administration has previously sought to reduce federal grants and funding for projects in areas led by Democrats. Trump did not elaborate on the specific implications of his remark regarding funding should Mamdani win. New York City received $7.4 billion in federal funding during the current fiscal year.
Trump's Characterization of Mamdani
During an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes program, President Trump commented that a Mayor Mamdani would make former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio "look great." He added, "I got to see de Blasio, how bad a mayor he was, and this man will do a worse job than de Blasio by far."
Trump also stated his preference between a "bad Democrat" and a "Communist," indicating he would "pick the bad Democrat all the time." He mentioned Cuomo in this context, saying, "I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it's gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I'm gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you."
Mamdani's Political Stance
Zohran Mamdani is a self-described democratic socialist. He has rejected accusations of being a communist, humorously stating in one television interview that he was "kind of like a Scandinavian politician." Mamdani reportedly won the Democratic mayoral primary.