Donald Trump just issued a devastating threat to New York City. What Zohran Mamdani said next shows he’s ready for war

President Donald Trump has said that New York City might not get much federal money if Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor. Speaking with Norah O’Donnell, Trump said it would be “hard for me, as the president, to give a lot of money to New York” if Mamdani wins Tuesday’s election. Trump explained his reasoning by saying that sending money to a city run by “a communist” would just be a waste.

Mamdani didn’t stay quiet about Trump’s warning. As per Fox News, on Monday morning, the Democratic candidate walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall with his supporters, local politicians, and Attorney General Letitia James. He told the crowd that he plans to stand up to Trump and make sure New York gets all the federal funding it deserves.

During his speech at the bridge, Mamdani talked about how cities and states need to use courts to get the money they’re owed from the federal government. “What we have seen in cities and states across the country is the necessity of, not just using the bully pulpit but also the courts, to ensure that every dollar that a municipality is owed is a dollar that is paid,” he said. He promised to build a city government ready to deal with Trump’s threats and help New Yorkers struggling with high costs of living.

This isn’t just about money, it’s about power

Trump and Mamdani have been going back and forth since summer when Mamdani beat former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Trump has been calling Mamdani names like “100% Communist Lunatic” and “my little communist,” which Mamdani says aren’t true. After winning the primary, Mamdani even ran a campaign called “Five Boroughs Against Trump” that lasted a whole week across the city.

In the interview, Trump said he’d rather have “a bad Democrat” than “a communist” running New York. “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m going to pick that bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” he said.

Mamdani thinks Trump’s words mean he’s backing Cuomo, but Cuomo’s team says that’s a lie. Cuomo’s spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told reporters that Cuomo is the only candidate who has actually fought Trump’s administration before and won. The race has drawn national attention, with JD Vance also weighing in on the mayoral contest in recent weeks.

Mamdani says he’s the best person to fight Trump, and he brought Attorney General James along to prove it. James just said she’s not guilty of bank fraud charges from last week, but Mamdani praised her anyway for having the guts to hold powerful people accountable. James has taken Trump to court many times this year and won a big fraud case against The Trump Organization last year.

Mamdani told his supporters on Monday that Trump can’t just decide whether New York gets federal money or not. “Donald Trump may speak as if it is his decision, but this is money that this city is owed. This is money that we will expect to collect,” he explained. It’s worth noting that Trump hasn’t said he supports Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, who’s also running for mayor on Tuesday.