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Trump vs Mamdani: Why does US President ‘want to arrest’ NYC mayoral candidate?
Zohran Mamdani said US President Donald Trump’s comments were meant to scare him into silence.
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, hit back at President Donald Trump on Wednesday, accusing him of issuing deportation threats in retaliation for opposing federal immigration enforcement.
“The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported,” Mamdani said. “Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city.” Mamdani said Trump’s comments were meant to scare people into silence.
“His statements don’t 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,” Associated Press quoted the New York mayoral candidate as saying.
Trump calls Mamdani a “communist lunatic”
Since Mamdani’s primary victory, Trump and other Republicans have stepped up their attacks. On Truth Social, Trump called him a “Communist Lunatic” and warned:
“As President of the United States, I'm not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York... I’ll save New York City, and make it 'Hot' and 'Great' again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”
Trump has also called Mamdani “a total nut job” and suggested he might intervene in New York City if Mamdani wins the mayoral election.
Trump further attacked Mamdani on Tuesday while touring the new “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention facility in Ochopee, Florida. When asked about Mamdani’s promise to oppose ICE raids in New York, the president replied, “Well, then we’ll have to arrest him. Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation.”
Trump also repeated a false claim that Mamdani is in the US illegally. “A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally. We’re going to look at everything,” he said, reported AP.
Mamdani, who is Muslim and of Indian and Ugandan heritage, became a US citizen several years ago.
What Mamdani stands for
Mamdani, 33, has run on a progressive platform that includes: Free public buses, city-run grocery stores, rent freezes for rent-stabilized apartments and higher taxes on wealthier neighborhoods.
When asked if he is a communist, Mamdani replied, “No.” He added, “I don’t think that we should have billionaires,” but said he wants “to work with everyone.”
Born in Uganda to filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, he moved to New York as a child. If elected, he would become the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor.
Polling shows Mamdani currently ahead of both incumbent mayor Eric Adams and Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa in the lead-up to the November election.
