US President Donald Trump has threatened to arrest Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, if he defies federal immigration authorities.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said Mamdani’s refusal to allow ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to arrest undocumented immigrants in the city could lead to legal consequences. “Well, then we’ll have to arrest him,” Trump said when asked about Mamdani. “We don’t need a Communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation.”
Trump added, “We send him money. We send him all the things that he needs to run a government. And by the way, they get already, they get about three times what you get, Ron. If you look at the per capita, Florida gets one-third of what New York gets in terms of the numbers.”
He also addressed claims that Florida receives more because of its high number of Social Security recipients, clarifying, “That’s not money to the state. Those are seniors that live here. If they move to North Carolina, you could count it there. So it has no interaction with the state government. They get more on the city and state governments than we get.”
TRUMP SAYS HE’S HERE ILLEGALLY
Trump further escalated his criticism, claiming Mamdani could be in the country illegally. “We’re going to be watching that very carefully, and a lot of people are saying he’s here illegally. We’re going to look at everything. And a Communist — but right now, he’s a Communist. That’s not a socialist. I’ve always said, we will not have socialism in this country… he skipped socialism.”
Trump didn’t hold back, labelling Mamdani as a “total nut job” and adding, “I think he’s terrible. He’s a communist. The last thing we need is a communist.”
Mamdani, 33, was born in Uganda to Indian parents and became a US citizen in 2018. He rose to prominence through his outspoken support for Palestinian rights. He officially secured victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, with a final vote count on Tuesday confirming his upset win over former Governor Andrew Cuomo. He now advances to the general election.
Mamdani addressed Trump’s accusations during a June 29 appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, rejecting the claim that he’s a communist.
WHITE HOUSE HINTS AT PROBE INTO MAMDANI’S CITIZENSHIP
The Trump administration has also signalled a potential investigation into Mamdani’s citizenship. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Republican Congressman Andy Ogles, who suggested Mamdani’s citizenship should be revoked, accusing him of hiding “terrorist” sympathies during his naturalisation process.
In a prior order from the Trump administration, the Justice Department had already directed its lawyers to start the process of denaturalising foreign-born individuals who were suspected of obtaining citizenship through deception or fraud. A memo cited grounds such as “illegally procured” naturalisation or “willful concealment of a material fact.”
– Ends