New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is framing his campaign as a “returning to the roots of the Democratic party,” focusing on working people, even as he faces President Donald Trump’s threat to cut off federal funds if Mamdani “doesn’t behave” after his election. Mamdani continues to deny Trump’s “communist” label.
Trump’s warning, delivered during a Fox News interview, underscores his deep opposition to Mamdani’s progressive policies, which he perceives as ideologically extreme. The potential withholding of over $100 billion in federal funds represents an unprecedented attempt by a sitting president to influence a local election outcome through financial leverage.
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani emphasized his campaign’s commitment to “putting working people first” and “bringing dignity back into those lives.” He reiterated his inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr.’s call for wealth redistribution and his plan to shift the tax burden from “overtaxed homeowners” to wealthier areas, based on economic assessment.
Mamdani’s primary victory, while causing apprehension among some moderate Democrats, has been enthusiastically received by progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He remains confident in his approach, asserting that his focus on working people offers a “path out of this moment where we’re facing authoritarianism in Washington DC” under the Trump administration.