Trump slams Zohran Mamdani’s ‘very angry’ speech, says NYC mayor-elect off to a ‘bad start’

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has reacted to New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory speech, saying the 34-year-old Democrat should build a new understanding with Washington or risk facing setbacks.

Responding to a Fox News reporter’s question, Trump appeared to soften his tone, stating that he wanted Mamdani “to do well” as he “loved New York,” but repeated his earlier remarks calling the mayor-elect a “communist.”

“You know, I’m so torn because I would like to see the new mayor do well because I love New York. I really love New York. When I left New York for Washington, New York was doing really well. But there were some bad signs. The bad sign was a guy named Bill de Blasio. So the signs of de Blasio, that was the beginning and it was bad. This one we’re going to look for a thousand years. Communism has not worked,” Trump said.

Referring to Mamdani’s victory speech in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, Trump described it as “a very angry speech” and said the mayor-elect should maintain a positive working relationship with the President.

“I thought it was a very angry speech, certainly angry toward me and I think he should be very nice to me as I am the one that sort of has to approve a lot of things coming to him, so he’s off to a bad start,” Trump told Fox News.

During his victory address, Mamdani had directly mentioned Trump, saying, “To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.” He further added, “I have four words for him: Turn the volume up.”

Mamdani, a Democrat, won the New York City mayoral race in a record voter turnout of over two million. He defeated independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had backing from Trump and Elon Musk, alongside Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

The victory gave Democrats a significant boost ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Following the election, Trump said the United States had lost its “sovereignty” after Mamdani’s win. Speaking at a business event in Miami, he claimed that New York City was heading toward communism and vowed to “take care of it,” without elaborating further.

Addressing supporters in Miami a day later, Trump remarked that Miami “will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York.”

“The decision facing all Americans could not be more clear: We have a choice between communism and common sense,” Trump said, adding that the country must choose between an “economic nightmare” and an “economic miracle.” (ANI)