President Trump sharply criticized New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on two occasions on Tuesday, calling him a “communist” and threatening to arrest him should he follow through on promises to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. The remarks came after Mamdani reaffirmed his pledge to defy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations within the city.
Speaking from Florida after touring “Alligator Alcatraz,” a reporter asked Trump: “President, your beloved New York City may well be led by a communist soon, Zohran Mamdani, who in his nomination speech said he will defy ICE and will not allow ICE to arrest criminal aliens in New York City. Your message to communist Zohran Mamdani?”
President Trump responded, “We’ll have to arrest him… We don’t need a communist in this country. But if we have one, I’ll be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation. We [would] send him money, we [would] send him all the things that he needs to run a government.”
Mamdani’s campaign website outlines his plans to “Trump Proof” the city should he be elected.
The website states:
“Donald Trump is tearing at the fabric of New York City in his second term. He has deployed ICE agents to pluck New Yorkers from their families. He has sent already-high prices skyrocketing with tariffs. And he has threatened vital social services that working New Yorkers rely on every day. Zohran Mamdani will fight Trump’s attempts to gouge the working class, and deliver a city where everyone can afford a dignified life. He’ll ensure our immigrant New Yorkers are protected by strengthening our sanctuary city apparatus: getting ICE out of all City facilities and ending any cooperation, increasing legal support, and protecting all personal data. He’ll make NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city and protect reproductive rights. He’ll also protect workers and ensure our current laws are enforced, by increasing the budgets of DCWP and the NYC Commission on Human Rights, and muscling up our Law Department.”
Trump argued that local officials who undermine federal immigration law could face severe consequences, including cuts to federal funding. In a conversation with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump suggested that New York should receive no more federal aid than Florida, reinforcing his position that federal funds must not support sanctuary policies.
Trump also reignited questions about Mamdani’s background. “A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally, you know, we’re going to look into everything,” he said. “Ideally, he’s going to turn out to be much less than a communist. But right now, he’s a communist. That’s not a socialist.”
Trump’s comments in Florida come after his morning interaction with the press, where he called Mamdani a “nut job.”
“I think he’s, frankly, I’ve heard he’s a total nut job. I think the people in New York are crazy. If they go this route, I think they’re crazy,” Trump stated on the White House premises.
“He wants to operate the grocery stores, the department stores. What about the people that are there? I think it’s crazy,” he went on to add.
Mamdani, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2018, won the Democratic primary by defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo. He is a self-identified democratic socialist with roots in Queens and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. His refusal to condemn anti-Israel slogans like “globalize the intifada” has drawn bipartisan concern.
By calling out Mamdani’s extremist views and radical proposals, Trump voiced what many believe but few in power are willing to say: Mamdani’s ideology is fundamentally at odds with the principles that built the United States. His refusal to denounce violent rhetoric and his open defiance of federal immigration law raise serious questions about his fitness to lead any city, let alone one as vital as New York.
