President Trump Tuesday unleashed a new salvo of insults and attacks on Zohran Mamdani and repeated his threats to cut federal funding to NYC if the Democratic nominee wins the upcoming mayoral election.
“I wouldn’t be generous to a communist that’s going to take the money and throw it out the window,” Trump added. “We’re not going to let someone get into office and squander the taxpayer money from this country. Not going to let it happen.”
Trump derided Mamdani as a “down and dirty” leftist who “hates Jewish people” and the NYPD.
“He’s down and dirty. He’s a communist,” Trump said of the Democratic candidate for mayor. “He hates police. He’s threatened to get rid of all police. He hates Jewish people and yet he has Jewish people supporting him.”
Mamdani’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
President Trump greets Argentina’s President Javier Milei at the White House on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump comparing the Big Apple to the cash-strapped South American nation of Argentina and reprised his threat to cut off funding to New York out of fears Mamdani would waste the money on progressive priorities.
“I’m not going to send a lot of money to New York, because I don’t have to,” Trump said. “The money all comes through the White House.”
Trump, who was speaking at a press conference with the right-wing president of Argentina, brought up Mamdani out of the blue when asked whether he would cut off aid if that country’s ruling party loses upcoming legislative elections.
The president agreed that he would cut off aid to Argentina because it would amount to being a waste of money to fund banana republic policies, then shifted to his threats to slash aid to New York over Mamdani’s progressive platform.
“We’re not going to ruin one of our great cities,” he said.
Trump also suggested he would consider bringing his National Guard and immigration crackdown to New York if Mamdani wins, without offering any specifics.
Mamdani holds a commanding lead in polls over Republican Curtis Sliwa and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary by a wide margin. Mayor Eric Adams pulled the plug on his reelection bid but will still be on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Trump criticized the NYC mayoral field, saying that Mamdani’s opponents should have easily been able to defeat him.
“It’s a fluke if he gets in,” Trump said, without naming Sliwa or Cuomo. “There’s a lot of failed people running against him. You have inferior candidates or something. It’s impossible to think New York could have a communist mayor.”
Contrary to Trump’s claim, Congress appropriates money for federal programs that are distributed fairly to cities and states nationwide. It wouldn’t be legal for the White House or federal agencies to cut off funding to New York due to partisan political differences.
