On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump promised to “make New York City hot and great again” while sharply criticizing Zohran Mamdani, the city’s Indian-origin Democratic mayoral candidate, calling him a “communist lunatic.”
Posting on his platform Truth Social, Trump said he wouldn’t let Mamdani ruin New York and claimed he “held all the cards” to protect the city. “As President, I won’t allow this Communist Lunatic to destroy New York. I have all the power and will save NYC, just like I did for the whole country,” he wrote.
Trump’s attacks on 33-year-old Mamdani have grown since Mamdani defeated former mayor Andrew Cuomo in last month’s Democratic mayoral primary. He labeled Mamdani a “100 percent communist lunatic,” criticized his appearance, and called him “not very smart.” Mamdani responded by saying he’s not a communist.
Trump also threatened to arrest Mamdani if he didn’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Trump said Mamdani’s refusal to let ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detain undocumented immigrants could bring legal trouble. “If he won’t let ICE do their job, we’ll have to arrest him. We don’t need communists in this country, but if we do, I’ll keep a close eye on him for the nation,” Trump said. Mamdani fired back, accusing Trump of abusing presidential power to silence his political opposition.
“The President threatened to have me arrested, stripped of citizenship, put in detention, and deported—not for breaking any laws, but because I refuse to let ICE terrorize our city,” Mamdani said.
Last month, Mamdani won a big victory over Cuomo with 43.5% of the vote, nearly clinching the Democratic nomination. If he wins in November, he’ll be the first South Asian mayor of New York City.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani is the son of Indian-born director Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani. He’s a Queens-based New York State Assemblyman and part of the Democratic Socialists of America. He moved to New York when he was seven and is married to Brooklyn artist Rama Duwaji.
Mamdani has promised major changes if elected, including freezing rents for tenants, building more affordable housing, and making city buses permanently free. He also wants to improve bus routes by adding priority lanes and better traffic signals.
Known for his strong pro-Palestinian views, Mamdani has faced criticism from pro-Israel groups. He even said he would try to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York, referencing an ICC arrest warrant from late 2024. Mamdani has also made headlines in India for criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing backlash from both major political parties there.
