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‘A very angry speech’: Trump on Zohran Mamdani’s victory address
In his fiery address, Zohran Mamdani challenged Trump and heralded the toppling of “political dynasty”.
US President Donald Trump has termed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory speech on election night a “very angry” address, saying he is off to a bad start and doesn’t have a chance of succeeding if he is not respectful of Washington.
“Yeah, I thought it was a very angry speech, certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be very nice to me. You know, I’m the one that sort of has to approve a lot of things coming to him. So he's off to a bad start,” Trump said in an interview to Fox News in Miami on Wednesday when asked about Mamdani’s victory speech.
In his fiery address, Mamdani challenged Trump and heralded the toppling of “political dynasty”.
Amid Trump’s crackdown on immigration, Mamdani said New York will be powered by immigrants and after his historic victory, it will be “led by an immigrant”.
“After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power,” Mamdani said to thunderous applause.
“This is not only how we stop Trump; it’s how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.
“We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks.
“We will stand alongside unions and expand labour protection because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have ironclad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed.
“New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” Mamdani said.
“So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” he added.
When asked how he would respond to Mamdani’s tirade against him, Trump said it is a “very dangerous statement for him to make actually”.
“And you know, you talk about danger, I think it’s a very dangerous statement for him to make. He has to be a little bit respectful of Washington, because if he's not, he doesn't have a chance of succeeding,” the president said.
Trump added that he doesn’t want to make Mamdani succeed but “I want to make the city succeed, and we'll see what happens”.
When asked if he would reach out to him, Trump said that Mamdani “should reach out to us really”.
“I think he should reach out. I'm here. We'll see what happens. But I would think that it would be more appropriate for him to reach out to us.”
Trump added that he is “so torn, because I would like to see the new mayor do well, because I love New York. I really love New York”.
Trump, who calls Mamdani a “communist”, said that for thousands of years, communism has not worked.
“Communism or the concept of communism has not worked. I tend to doubt it's going to work this time,” he said.
