President Donald Trump has issued a warning that New York City’s federal funding could be in jeopardy if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani doesn’t do the “right thing” if he wins the mayoral election.
What Happened: Trump expressed that Mamdani must “do the right thing” if elected, or the city could face a reduction in its federal funding. The President made these comments during a Fox News interview with Maria Bartiromo that aired on Sunday.
"Let's say this, if he does get in, I'm going to be president and he's going to have to do the right thing, or they're not getting any money…He's got to do the right thing," stated Trump.
Trump warned that any future mayor of New York must “behave themselves,” or else the federal government will impose severe financial consequences.
He has previously threatened to cut federal funding for local politicians in blue states with whom he disagrees. For instance, he threatened to withdraw funding from California due to Governor Gavin Newsom‘s policies on transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Trump’s warning is not only directed at Mamdani, who recently defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary, but also extends to all mayoral candidates in New York City.
Trump has repeatedly labeled Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, as a communist. Mamdani, however, has rejected this label.
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Why It Matters: Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor has sparked strong political reactions. Trump has condemned the win as a sign that the Democratic Party has veered too far left.
Despite the criticism, prominent senators such as Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) have thrown their support behind Mamdani, citing his “grassroots” approach.
Meanwhile, Cameron Winklevoss, co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, has expressed reluctance to support a candidate against Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race, suggesting that the city must “learn the hard way” the consequences of Marxist and socialist ideologies.
Image via Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
