In one of his most direct threats to date against a political opponent, Donald Trump has openly warned New York City voters that electing Zohran Mamdani as mayor would mean financial ruin for the city—because he won’t lift a finger to help.
The President took to his Truth Social platform to slam Mamdani, calling him a “self proclaimed New York City Communist” — a label Mamdani has never claimed himself — and vowing to punish the city financially if Mamdani wins.
“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. “This ideology has failed, always, for thousands of years. It will fail again, and that’s guaranteed!”
Trump’s threat to “starve” New York City of funds, however, is both blunt and misleading. Federal money makes up less than 7% of the city’s operating budget, and much of that is already earmarked through congressional appropriations. The President alone cannot simply cut off these funds on a whim.
Mamdani, a progressive state legislator and democratic socialist, made waves when he defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination in a stunning upset. His platform includes progressive policies like stronger rent control and establishing publicly run grocery stores in neighborhoods suffering from food insecurity.
Despite this, Trump has painted Mamdani as an existential threat to the city—and even suggested he could try to overturn the election results if Mamdani wins, a move without any legal basis.
Beyond public threats, Trump has been working behind the scenes to broker a deal to consolidate the anti-Mamdani vote by pushing incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa to drop out, potentially to boost Cuomo, who is running as an independent. Adams bowed out recently, but Sliwa remains in the race.
Trump’s strategy is to weaponize fear and economic pressure to stop Mamdani’s rise. But many question whether New Yorkers will be swayed by threats that could ultimately harm the city itself—or if it will strengthen Mamdani’s appeal as a fighter against Trump’s authoritarian tactics.
