President Trump warned Monday that he would deny federal funds to New York City if Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani wins the mayor's race, escalating his attacks on the candidate following Mayor Eric Adams' decision to exit the contest.
"He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City," Trump wrote in a social media post. "Remember, 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?"
The statement comes one day after Adams announced he would not seek reelection, a move expected to boost former Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mamdani's closest rival. Adams cited lack of funding and sustained criticism in the media as reasons for withdrawing. Mamdani's campaign quickly responded by pressing its argument that Cuomo represents the interests of wealthy donors aligned with Trump.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold funding from New York during the race. In September, he criticized Governor Kathy Hochul's endorsement of Mamdani as "a very bad one for New York City" and said there was "no reason to be sending good money after bad." Previously, in July, he warned that Mamdani would bring "communism" to the city, calling him "terrible" and "the last thing we need."
At that time, he suggested New York risked losing more than $100 billion in federal support if Mamdani became mayor.
In his latest post, Trump went further, labeling Mamdani "a self-proclaimed communist" and predicting his policies would fail. "This ideology has failed, always, for thousands of years. It will fail again, and that's guaranteed," Trump wrote.
Mamdani has previously rejected the communist label, describing himself instead as a democratic socialist focused on reducing inequality. He has argued that Trump's repeated attacks are an effort to distract from issues affecting working-class New Yorkers.
Cuomo's campaign has been working to consolidate support among Democrats and moderate Republicans, while Mamdani continues to build endorsements and expand his coalition. With Adams out of the race, the contest is expected to sharpen into a direct clash between the two candidates, with Trump playing an active role from Washington.
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