President Trump Tuesday vowed to “straighten out” New York City if Zohran Mamdani wins the race for mayor.
Deriding Mamdani as a “communist,” Trump said he would take unspecified steps to intervene in the city’s affairs if the Democrat ousts incumbent Eric Adams in the general election.
“Maybe we’re going to have to straighten it out from Washington,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting at the White House. “We’re gonna make New York great again.”
Trump claimed that he could intervene in New York governance, comparing the relationship to that of Washington D.C., which relies on the federal government for significant funding.
“If a communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same,” Trump said. “But we have tremendous power at the White House to run places where we have to.”
Trump accused Mamdani of plotting to seize New York grocery stores owned by Gristedes mogul John Catsimatidis if he wins in November, a distortion of the candidate’s proposal to open low cost city-run stores in each borough.
Mamdani’s campaign said he wouldn’t allow Trump to “tear this city apart.”
“Donald Trump has once again chosen to treat democracy like a suggestion and insult the more than half a million New Yorkers who voted for Zohran Mamdani,” a Mamdani spokesperson said.
Gov. Hochul tweeted: “Voters decide who runs New York City … not wannabe kings.”
Despite his attacks on Mamdani, Trump steered clear of picking sides in the increasingly bitter feud between Adams, Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, the three main alternatives to the Democratic favorite.
“I’m not getting involved,” Trump declared, downplaying Sliwa’s chances of winning.
Trump has ramped up attacks on Mamdani since the Queens assemblyman scored a runaway victory over Cuomo in the Democratic primary last month.
The Republican president accused Mamdani of being antisemitic and warned him to “behave” if he gets elected.
Mamdani has suggested he could order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes, a threat the Israeli prime minister Monday dismissed as “silly.”
“He’s a disaster,” Trump said. “He’s got the Democrat nomination because that shows you where the Democrats have gone.”
Originally Published: July 8, 2025 at 3:24 PM EDT
