Zohran Mamdani isn\u2019t backing down \u2014 not even when the threat comes from the Oval Office.<\/p>\n
After Donald Trump publicly floated the idea of deporting him, the Democratic nominee for NYC mayor is hitting back hard.<\/p>\n
Trump on edge
\nZohran Mamdani is the breakout political name everyone\u2019s suddenly talking about.<\/p>\n
Just a week ago, the 33-year-old Democratic Socialist from Queens was barely known outside of New York. Now, he\u2019s being hailed as the next big hope for the Democratic Party after pulling off a shocking upset in the NYC mayoral primary, defeating party favorite Andrew Cuomo.<\/p>\n
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is Muslim, is pushing bold, Bernie Sanders-style policies like a $30 minimum wage, free public buses, universal preschool, and taxing the ultra-wealthy to pay for it all. His sudden rise has both the Democratic establishment and Donald Trump on edge.<\/p>\n
\u201c100% Communist Lunatic\u201d
\nOn Truth Social, Trump didn\u2019t hold back, labeling Mamdani as \u201ca 100% Communist Lunatic.\u201d In a follow-up interview with Fox News\u2019 Maria Bartiromo, the president made it clear he intended to use his influence if Mamdani gains power: \u201cIf he does get in, I\u2019m going to be president, and he\u2019s going to have to do the right thing or they\u2019re not getting any money, he\u2019s got to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mamdani responded during an appearance on NBC\u2019s Meet the Press, saying he\u2019s already coming to terms with the personal nature of the attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have already had to start to get used to, get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I\u2019m from, who I am, ultimately, because he wants to distract from what I\u2019m fighting for, and I\u2019m fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower, that he has since then betrayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201dWe might have to arrest him..\u201d
\nAt a press conference in Ochopee, Florida, after touring the new \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d migrant detention center, Donald Trump attacked Zohran Mamdani once again when asked about Mamdani\u2019s bold opposition to ICE raids.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he\u2019s going to stand in the way, we might have to arrest him,\u201d Trump said bluntly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t need a communist running around in this country. And if we\u2019ve got one, I\u2019ll be keeping a close eye on him \u2014 for the good of the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump went on to suggest that Mamdani\u2019s legitimacy should be investigated, hinting at possible immigration issues. Mamdani, born to Indian parents, became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe send him support, we send him the resources he needs to govern\u2026 but now people are saying he might not even be here legally. We\u2019re going to check everything. Hopefully, he turns out to be less of a communist than he seems. But right now? That\u2019s not socialism. That\u2019s straight-up communism.\u201d<\/p>\n
The remarks sparked immediate backlash \u2014 and only added fuel to the growing spotlight on Mamdani\u2019s rapidly rising profile.<\/p>\n
Mamdani\u2019s warning
\nZohran Mamdani, a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America \u2014the largest socialist organization in the United States \u2014 fired back after being targeted by President Trump with threats of arrest and deportation.<\/p>\n
In a powerful statement, Mamdani said, \u201cThe president of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t stop there. The Queens Assemblyman warned that this wasn\u2019t just a personal attack \u2014 it was a broader attempt to silence dissent:<\/p>\n
\u201cHis statements don\u2019t just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mamdani also criticized current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for reelection as an independent, for echoing Trump\u2019s rhetoric:<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the very moment when MAGA Republicans are attempting to destroy the social safety net, kick millions of New Yorkers off of healthcare and enrich their billionaire donors at the expense of working families, it is a scandal that Eric Adams echoes this president\u2019s division, distraction and hate. Voters will resoundingly reject it in November.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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