Former President Donald Trump took the newsmakers’ award this week by directly threatening New York City voters on the eve of their mayoral primary election. He had some pretty fierce opposition to candidate Zohran Mamdani. During an appearance on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday, President-elect Trump said something pretty radical. He explained why a vote for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa would really be a vote for Mamdani, the independent candidate surge to double-digit support in recent polls.
In reality, these were not benign comments and they came just hours before the polls opened. He reinforced his stance in a subsequent post on Truth Social, where he stated, “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home.” Trump’s comments raised eyebrows and ignited a debate about the implications for federal funding in New York City, which he previously rescinded under his administration.
Infamously in 2020, Trump’s administration eliminated $34 million in counterterrorism funding specifically designated for New York City. This decision was later deemed “arbitrary, capricious and a blatant violation of the law” by a federal judge. Trump’s posturing fortune-telling indicates he’s willing to go down this road too if Mamdani wins the mayoral primary.
“Too often, we treat everything that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth as if it is already legal, just by virtue of who is saying it,” Mamdani responded at a campaign event in Astoria, Queens. He stressed that Trump’s threats to defund should be treated as an illegal form of intimidation. They should not be interpreted as a definitive policy position. Well, this funding is not the handout that Donald Trump is providing us here in New York City. This is what we are actually owed in New York,” he said.
According to the last round of polling data, Mamdani is at least 10 points ahead of both Sliwa and Cuomo. Cuomo is running as an independent to circumvent the Democratic primary. Trump’s apparent backing of Cuomo reflects his belief that Cuomo would be a preferable candidate for his interests rather than for the citizens of New York City.
The unusual political landscape leading into this election has led to increased speculation as to what is fueling Trump’s endorsements and primary threats. A recent editorial from The New York Times noted, “The Maga movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him – not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration.”
With the primary election drawing near, Trump has called on GOP officials to respond to his alarms over Mamdani’s candidacy. His influence is still very much felt, as most Republican voters see him as the leading light of the party. “It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump stated during his CBS interview.