Zohran Mamdani has sent a warning to Donald Trump after the President threatened to cut federal funding for New York City.
Mamdani has become the first openly socialist mayor, as well as the first Muslim and first South Asian leader of the city, much to the displeasure of Trump.
The mayor-elect has wasted no time in hitting back at the President, who so openly threatened NYC.
Mamdani Hits Back At Trump
Mamdani has outlined plans for what he calls an “ambitious affordability agenda,” pledging to transform America’s most expensive city into one that ordinary residents can afford to live in.
In his first post-election interview with ABC, Mamdani said his administration will seek to raise around $9 billion through a 2% flat tax on incomes over $1 million and by increasing the corporate tax rate to 11.5%, aligning it with neighboring New Jersey.
While critics warn such measures could drive businesses away, Mamdani argued that the city’s high cost of childcare is already pushing workers to leave, making it harder for companies to retain staff.
Addressing threats from Trump to cut federal funding if he won, the mayor-elect said he is ready to stand up to the administration, calling such threats “inevitable”.
Mamdani added: "This has nothing to do a safety, it has to do with intimidation.If it was safety, President Trump would be threatening to deploy the National Guard to the top 10 states of crime, eight out of which are all Republican-led," Mamdani added.
"But because of that party he won't actually be doing it.”
Zohran Mamdani has been elected as the New York City mayor. Credit: Michael M. Santiago / Getty
Mamdani Takes On Trump in Victory Speech
In his victory speech, Mamdani wasted no time in directly calling out President Donald Trump, delivering a message of resistance against what he described as a "politics of division and cronyism" that Trump had championed.
“Here we believe in standing up for those we love, whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many Black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job, a single mom still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with their back against the wall,” Mamdani said, emphasizing his commitment to those marginalized by Trump’s policies.
He also made it clear that under his leadership, New York City would not tolerate the kind of bigotry and fear-mongering that Trump has been known for. “No more will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election,” he declared.
Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji after it was confirmed that he was elected as the mayor of NYC. Credit: Michael M. Santiago / Getty
But Mamdani’s words weren’t just directed at the past; they were a warning for the future. “So, if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.
"This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one,” he said, sending a pointed message to Trump and others who seek to divide the nation.
“And so, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.”