President Trump threatened on Tuesday to arrest Zohran Mamdani if he gets in the way of federal immigration enforcement efforts — and also falsely implied that the New York City Democratic mayoral nominee is not in the country legally.
Asked during a press conference in Florida on Tuesday what his response was to Mamdani’s anti-ICE stance, Trump replied, “Well then, we’ll have to arrest him” if Mamdani followed through on his campaign promise to defy Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in their mass deportation efforts.
The president also incorrectly called Mamdani, who is a democratic socialist, a “communist.”
“A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally,” Trump said of Mamdani, a U.S. citizen born in Uganda. “We’re going to look at everything. And ideally, he’s going to turn out to be much less than a communist, but right now, he’s a communist.”
“His statements don’t just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you,” Mamdani said in response to Trump. “We will not accept this intimidation.
Mamdani, who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, has since his primary victory been subject to an outpouring of Islamophobic and racist attacks, including from far-right members of Congress.
Trump also praised Mayor Adams and his re-election campaign in his remarks.
“You have a good independent running — Mayor Adams, who’s a very good person,” Trump said.
“That Trump included praise for Eric Adams in his authoritarian threats is unsurprising, but highlights the urgency of bringing an end to this Mayor’s time in City Hall,” Mamdani said.
Adams faces a steep path to a second term, although Mamdani’s victory has offered him hope. Some business leaders have reportedly been considering throwing their weight behind Adams rather than Mamdani, who ran on populist promises of free buses and rent freezes for rent-stabilized tenants.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, public safety and keeping the city’s streets safe is a non-partisan issue which is why Mayor Adams is running as an independent,” Todd Shapiro, a spokesperson for the mayor’s campaign, said in a statement in response to Trump’s praise.
“Mayor Adams prioritizes the safety of New Yorkers and that’s something President Trump supports.”
Adams, who eschewed the June Democratic primary to run outside party lines, was widely seen as having blown his chances at a second term after he was indicted on bribery charges, cozied up to the president and then was cut loose from the charges months later by Trump’s Department of Justice.
“I helped him out a little bit. He had a problem,” the president said, referring to Adams’ federal corruption indictment.
Previously, the mayor was asked on Fox News if he would seek out Trump’s endorsement. He didn’t rule it out: “Any New Yorker that wants to vote for me, I’m all for,” the mayor replied.
Originally Published: July 1, 2025 at 5:36 PM EDT
