Republican US President Donald Trump has said he will restrict federal funds for New York City if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the city's mayoral elections that will be held on Tuesday.
"If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has zero chance of success, or even survival! It can only get worse with a Communist at the helm," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
Mamdani, a New York State Assemblyman representing the 36th District of Queens, has been a vocal advocate for housing reform, expanded public transit and social welfare programmes.
He has identified as a democratic socialist but rejects the "Communist" label frequently used by conservative critics.
Trump's remarks came as New York City’s mayoral race is entering its final stretch, with early voting concluded and more than five million registered voters preparing to head to the polls on Tuesday to elect the city’s next mayor.
Polls show Mamdani to be leading against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, who is the Republican nominee.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal, is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June.
Trump claimed a vote for Sliwa would only help Mamdani and urged his supporters to back Cuomo.
"Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job," Trump wrote.
Obama shows support
Mamdani shocked political observers on June 24 with a convincing victory in the primary.
Since then, his candidacy has won endorsements from party holdouts such as former Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and he has received a steady stream of financial backing from small donors.
Mamdani's policies range from hiking taxes on New York City's wealthiest, raising the corporation tax, freezing stabilised apartment rental rates and increasing publicly subsidized housing, raising worries among the finance community that the city's competitiveness will suffer.
His rise presents both risks and rewards for the national Democratic Party, which acknowledges the need to appeal to young voters but could become more vulnerable to Republican attacks due to Mamdani's criticism of Israel's genocide in Gaza and his Democratic socialism.
On Saturday, former US President Barack Obama rallied alongside New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, who is competing in a closely contested race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
"Zohran Mamdani appreciated President Obama's words of support and their conversation on the importance of bringing a new kind of politics to our city," said Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec.
