- “We want New York to succeed,” Trump says.
- Trump says, “Let’s see how Mamdani does in New York.”
- He says the United States loses “sovereignty” after New Yorkers elect Mamdani.
MIAMI: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that “we want New York to succeed” and that he might offer US help to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist who was elected mayor of New York City.
“We will help him, maybe a little,” Trump said in a speech in Miami a day after the election.
In a speech in Miami a day after Mamdani’s convincing victory, Trump said, “Let’s see how Mamdani does in New York.”
He also said that the United States had lost “sovereignty” after New Yorkers elected leftist Mamdani as their next mayor.
“We’ll take care of it,” Trump said without explaining what he meant, while stating that the country’s largest city would become communist.
Trump added that the Florida city “will soon be a refuge for those fleeing communism in New York.”
“The choice facing all Americans could not be clearer: We have a choice between communism and common sense,” he said, also posing the choice between an “economic nightmare” and an “economic miracle.”
The speech marked the one-year anniversary of Trump’s election victory against Democrat Kamala Harris.
“We rescued our economy, we took back our freedom, and together we saved our country on that magnificent night 365 days ago,” Trump told his audience of supporters.
Mamdani’s victory in the mayoral race came despite fierce attacks on his policies and his Muslim heritage from business elites, conservative media commentators and Trump himself.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said in a victory speech Tuesday night.
Mamdani’s victory, as well as other Democratic Party victories in gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, suggested a shift in the political mood as the country looks ahead to next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.
In another significant victory for Democrats, California voters approved a proposal to redraw congressional districts in an attempt to neutralize gerrymandering efforts ordered by Trump in other states.
Trump refused to take any blame for Tuesday’s results.
In a post on his Truth Social network, he cited anonymous “pollsters” who suggested that Republican defeats were due to the government shutdown and the fact that his own name was not on the ballots.
The 34-year-old social democrat made history by becoming the first Muslim mayor of the largest city in the United States, defeating former Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo.
Earlier, Trump acknowledged that Democrats’ broad electoral gains signaled growing problems for Republicans, calling the results “not good” and linking the setbacks to the record federal government shutdown, which now extends into its sixth week.
Addressing Republican senators at a White House breakfast, Trump reflected on the outcome and said it had not been a positive night for anyone.
The US president said: “We had an interesting evening, we learned a lot and we are going to talk about it.”
He attributed the Republican setbacks in part to the prolonged government shutdown, citing pollsters who found it “a major, negative factor for Republicans.” Trump added that some analysts saw his absence at the polls as the most important factor.
Trump accused Democrats of being prepared to destroy the country as the government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, eclipsing the record of 35 days set during the Republican leader’s first term.
Mamdani to Trump: “Turn up the volume”
Mamdani wasted no time in criticizing President Trump, formally launching the battle that will likely define relations between the 34-year-old mayor and the president whose celebrity is tied to the city.
“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn up the volume!” Mamdani, a Democrat, during a speech Tuesday night to a raucous crowd of supporters shortly after being declared the winner.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani told his supporters. “And if there is any way to terrorize a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to amass power. So we not only stop Trump, but we also stop the next one.”
