US President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Indian-origin New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling him a “Communist Lunatic” and vowing to save the city from his leadership.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “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!”
The statement follows Mamdani’s sharp rebuttal to Trump’s earlier threats of arrest if he were to restrict Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in New York.
Story continues below this ad
“The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported,” Mamdani said. “Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorise our city.”
He further added: “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 shadow: if you speak up, they will come for you.”
Trump had also referred to Mamdani as a “pure, true communist” and “total nut job”, claiming he would “have a lot of fun with him” if elected.
Mamdani, who became the Democratic nominee for mayor on Tuesday, would be New York City’s first Muslim mayor if elected in November. The 33-year-old state assemblyman and self-proclaimed democratic socialist secured a clear victory over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, winning 56 per cent to Cuomo’s 44 per cent in the final round of ranked-choice voting.
Story continues below this ad
He was born in Uganda to Indian-origin parents and became a US citizen in 2018.