President Donald Trump on Wednesday intensified his attacks on New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, vowing to use the powers of the presidency to block him—though he did not mention Mamdani by name, instead repeating a slur he’s recently used against the candidate.
“As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards. I’ll save New York City, and make it ‘Hot’ and ‘Great’ again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”
It remains unclear whether Trump was suggesting he would try to interfere in Mamdani’s potential election or block his mayoral agenda if he wins.
Though Mamdani is not a communist, Trump has repeatedly labeled him one. Mamdani is a Democratic Socialist and a current New York State Assembly member, running as part of the Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, Trump took his threats further, warning that Mamdani could be arrested or even deported if he interferes with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in New York City.
“Well then we’ll have to arrest him,” Trump told reporters when asked about Mamdani’s potential opposition to ICE actions as mayor. “Look, we don’t need a communist in this country… I’m going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation.”
He added, without evidence: “A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally. We’re going to look at everything.”
Mamdani responded forcefully, accusing the president of authoritarian tactics.
“The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp, and deported,” Mamdani said. “Not because I’ve broken any law, but because I refuse to let ICE terrorize our city.”
“This is not just an attack on me,” he continued. “It’s a message to every New Yorker who dares to speak out: if you stand up, they will come for you. We will not be silenced.”
In a Fox News interview aired Sunday, Trump continued his offensive, telling Maria Bartiromo: “He’s a communist—pure communist. I think he admits it. If he does get in, I’ll still be president, and he’s going to have to do the right thing. Otherwise, no money. He’s not getting anything.”
Mamdani, in response, has flatly denied being a communist and compared his democratic socialist stance to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who also advocated for economic justice.
“I’ve already gotten used to the fact that the president will attack how I look, how I sound, where I’m from,” Mamdani told NBC’s Meet the Press. “But that’s just a distraction from what I’m fighting for: the working people Trump pretended to champion, and then betrayed.”
