Zohran Mamdani fires back after Donald Trump threatens to cut federal funding to NYC over potential mayoral victory
NEW YORK (WABC) — President Donald Trump, in a post on his social media platform on Monday, once again weighed in on the New York City mayoral race and indicated that Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani would not get federal funds that Trump said Mamdani would need to fulfil campaign promises if elected.
“He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City. Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him?” Trump wrote.
Some of Mamdani’s campaign promises could require state funds and buy-in from New York’s state legislature, while others could require federal funding.
Mamdani is a self-described democratic socialist and has said he is not a communist.
Trump did not reference incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who on Sunday suspended his reelection campaign.
Advisers for President Donald Trump had been in contact with Adams to persuade him to drop out of the race and offered him positions in the administration, sources previously told ABC News.
Trump had been vocal that candidates should drop out to limit the number of challengers against Mamdani.
During a press conference on Monday, Mamdani responded to President Trump’s post about the mayoral race by saying that Trump is “going through the stages of grief” over Mamdani’s potential victory while shrugging off concerns over funding cuts.
Mamdani was asked about the post and if he is worried New York City will be in a worse position if he becomes mayor given potential funding cuts or withholdings from the federal government.
“I think that Donald Trump is going through the stages of grief. He began with denial, where he said that there was no way we could win this race and that he would use every tool at his disposal to ensure that that was the case,” Mamdani said.
Referencing reported calls between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Trump – which Trump and Cuomo have denied – Mamdani added, “And we saw that phone calls that he had with Andrew Cuomo and briefings that he had with pollsters, and now we’ve reached the point where he’s coming to terms with the fact that we’re going to win this race, and he’s coming to terms with it, because New Yorkers are tired of a politics here in this city that has more to do with Washington than it has to do with the people of this same city.”
Mamdani added soon after, “We know that Andrew Cuomo would be the greatest thing that could happen for Donald Trump, because he isn’t simply clearing the way or looking to, for Andrew Cuomo, out of a sincere belief in what Cuomo will present for the people of this city. He’s doing so because he knows that Andrew Cuomo will clear the way for Donald Trump’s agenda. And New Yorkers are sick and tired of that agenda.”
Cuomo has previously said he feels Mamdani is the weakest candidate to take on the Trump administration and has said he will oppose the president in areas where Trump plans to clash with the city.
Mamdani later spoke about where he could see the city saving without expressing specific concerns over cuts from the federal government.
(ABC News contributed to this report.)
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