1 day ago
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday vowed to make New York City "hot and great again" as he stepped up his attack on Indian-origin mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling him a "communist lunatic".
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he wouldn't let Mamdani "destroy" New York City and that he "held all the cards".
"As President of the United States, I'm not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York. 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!" he said.
In recent days, Trump has been attacking 33-year-old Mamdani after he won last month's New York City's Democratic mayoral primary against former mayor Andrew Cuomo, who conceded the race.
Calling him a "100 per cent communist lunatic", Trump said Mamdani looked "terrible" and was not "very smart". Mamdani hit back at Trump, asserting that he wasn't a "communist".
Trump has also threatened to arrest Mamdani if he defies federal immigration authorities. The US President said Mamdani's refusal to allow ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to arrest undocumented immigrants in New York City could lead to legal consequences.
"Well, then we'll have to arrest him. We don't need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation," Trump said when asked about Mamdani.
Mamdani then vowed not to be intimidated by Trump, accusing him of abusing presidential power to silence political opposition.
"The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorise our city," Mamdani said.
Last month, Mamdani secured a stunning victory over Cuomo in the first round of New York City's Democratic mayoral primary. With 90 per cent of ballots counted, he secured 43.5 per cent of the vote, effectively clinching the win.
He will become the US's first mayor of South Asian descent if he wins the November election.
WHO IS ZOHRAN MAMDANI?
Mamdani, born in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, is the son of award-winning director Mira Nair and Indian-born and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani. He is currently a New York State Assemblyman from Queens and is known for his affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Mamdani moved to New York with his parents at the age of seven. He is married to Brooklyn-based Syrian-born artist Rama Duwaji.
The 33-year-old has pledged sweeping reforms if elected New York City Mayor, vowing to freeze rents for all stabilised tenants and aggressively push for affordable housing construction to tackle the city's deepening crisis.
Mamdani's campaign also promised a public transit overhaul. He said he will make all city buses permanently fare-free, while accelerating the rollout of priority lanes, bus queue-jump signals and dedicated loading zones to unclog routes and cut delays.
The 33-year-old is known for his outspoken views on foreign policy, particularly his strong pro-Palestinian stance, which has drawn sharp criticism from pro-Israeli groups.
He has previously said that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits New York City, he would seek his arrest, citing the Criminal Court's arrest warrants issued in November 2024.
Mamdani has drawn headlines in India due to his past remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing the ire of both the BJP and the Congress.
- Ends
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Jul 2, 2025
Tune In
