Washington (BN24) – President Donald Trump warned that it would be difficult for his administration to allocate federal funding to New York City if left-wing candidate Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor, suggesting that federal resources would be “wasted” under what he described as a “Communist” local government.
“It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump said during a televised interview aired Sunday.
The remarks come just days before New Yorkers head to the polls in a closely watched mayoral race between Mamdani, a progressive state assemblyman, and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Polls show Mamdani holding a narrow lead heading into Tuesday’s election, positioning him as the potential first socialist-leaning mayor of the city in decades.
New York City currently receives roughly $7.4 billion in federal funding annually, supporting a wide range of infrastructure, housing, and public safety projects. Trump did not elaborate on whether his administration would move to reduce that funding if Mamdani wins but made clear his skepticism toward the progressive candidate’s agenda.
During a wide-ranging interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump compared Mamdani unfavorably to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who served from 2014 to 2021. “I got to see de Blasio, how bad a mayor he was, and this man will do a worse job than de Blasio by far,” Trump said.
Trump, who grew up in the Queens borough of New York, appeared to tacitly endorse Mamdani’s rival, Andrew Cuomo, despite Cuomo’s affiliation with the Democratic Party. “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other,” Trump said. “But if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.”
Mamdani, 34, a state assemblyman representing Queens, identifies as a democratic socialist but has rejected accusations of communism, dismissing Trump’s remarks with humor. “I’m kind of like a Scandinavian politician—only browner,” Mamdani joked during a recent television interview.
The candidate has framed his campaign as a progressive alternative to establishment politics, arguing that his vision for the city centers on economic fairness and human dignity. “The answer to a Donald Trump presidency is not to create its mirror image here in City Hall,” Mamdani said Monday. “It is to create an alternative that believes in the dignity of everyone who calls this place home.”
Cuomo, meanwhile, has positioned himself as the pragmatic choice, emphasizing his executive experience and his ability to navigate federal politics. “I fought Donald Trump,” Cuomo said during a recent debate. “When I’m fighting for New York, I am not going to stop.”
As governor during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo clashed repeatedly with the Trump administration over public health and funding issues, though his tenure later drew criticism after investigations revealed that the state had significantly underreported nursing home deaths.
The Trump administration has a history of targeting Democratic-led cities through federal funding cuts and increased security measures. Trump has previously deployed National Guard troops to major urban areas as part of a broader anti-crime initiative and moved to strip federal dollars from jurisdictions that limit cooperation with immigration enforcement agencies.
With the New York City mayoral election imminent, Trump’s latest remarks underscore the sharp ideological divide shaping urban governance and federal policy — a rift that could deepen further depending on Tuesday’s outcome.
