Mamdani tells Trump New York is ready to fight after the president’s threats failed to discourage voters

NEW YORK (AP) — Zahran Mamdani wasted little time as mayor-elect of New York City before making clear that he sees part of his new role as standing up to the president of the United States, who has threatened not only to defund the city if he wins but also to arrest and deport him.

Mamdani, a Democrat, addressed the Republican president directly and at length from the podium at his victory party in Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Speak up,” he said, before declaring, “If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it’s the city that birthed him.”

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a naturalized American citizen after graduating from college, has continued to portray himself as the embodiment of resistance.

“New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, supported by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” he said. “So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To reach any one of us, you’re going to have to reach all of us.”

Trump, who had spent months insulting Mamdani and warning that the city would be destroyed if he won, appeared to be watching.

“…And so it begins!” He posted on social media while Mamdani was speaking.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who campaigned on a list of far-left progressive policies and cheerful optimism that stood in stark contrast to Trump’s darker, more hardline tactics, is expected to continue to confront the president’s ongoing political bashing — along with a federal government that may try to thwart his agenda.

“Mayor Trump”

New York remained relatively far from the Trump administration, as it targeted cities including Los Angeles and Washington, and sent the National Guard. The current mayor, Eric Adams, enjoys an unusual alliance with the Republican president, whose administration dropped a federal corruption case against the mayor so he could better help with the president’s immigration agenda.

Trump has threatened to cut off federal funding to the city and stage an outright takeover, threats that have become the cornerstone of Mamdani’s rivals’ campaigns against him.

“He’s going to be Mayor Trump” if Mamdani wins, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during their recent debate, warning that Mamdani lacks experience and is a target for negotiating effectively with the president.

As Mamdani has risen from obscure state lawmaker to Democratic star, Trump and others in his party have happily seized on his more controversial policy proposals and past statements, trying to portray Mamdani as the face of the new Democratic Party out of step with ordinary Americans.

Read more: How Zahran Mamdani rose from Queens lawmaker to mayor of New York

“The Democratic Party has surrendered to the radical socialist Zahran Mamdani and the far-left mob who are now running the show,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement Tuesday evening. “They have proudly embraced defunding the police, abolishing ICE, taxing hard-working Americans to death, and replacing common sense with chaos. Every Democrat in the House is foolishly complicit in their party’s collapse, and voters will make them pay the price in 2026.”

Echoes of Trump

Nearly a decade ago, Trump was the bold, untested candidate who achieved a remarkable political victory after building a populist coalition, harnessing social media, attracting the media spotlight, and promising a wave of change.

The same qualities that propelled the Republican to the White House in 2016 helped Mamdani rise to soon become mayor of Trump’s hometown and the nation’s largest city.

But rather than viewing Mamdani as a democratic counterpart to his path to power, Trump has portrayed him as a linchpin and a cause who might seek to punish or control the city.

And it looks like they’re both ready for it.

Although most presidents don’t devote their time to clashing with local elected officials, Trump is not like most presidents, and New York City holds special significance for him.

The Queens-born former reality TV star made his name in Manhattan, where he became a TV star from his gilded apartment, then launched his improbable presidential campaign after descending the golden staircase.

Trump has continued to focus specifically on the city, trying to block a congestion pricing program, trying to cancel the construction of new tunnels under the Hudson River, and insisting during his presidential campaign last year on holding a big celebration at Madison Square Garden despite his unpopularity in the city.

As the city prepared to choose its next mayor, Trump became unusually involved. He falsely described Mamdani as a communist and threatened to withdraw federal funds from the city, or even seize it, if Mamdani was elected.

In the fall, Trump administration intermediaries reached out to Adams to try to persuade him to abandon his reelection campaign in an attempt to cut off Mamdani’s path to victory.

On the eve of the election, Trump said he would likely cut federal funding to the city if Mamdani won, writing on social media that it was “highly unlikely that I will contribute federal funds, other than the minimum required.”

White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt on Tuesday declined to say what funds Trump might seek to withhold.

But he has already sought to punish the city this year as part of a broader pattern of asserting power against Democratic elected officials who have criticized him, including suspending funding for some infrastructure projects during the government shutdown and trying to cut grants meant to address immigrant costs.

The threats also resonated with some voters.

He watches: How Mamdani’s win could change New York City and the Democratic Party

Amy Snyder, the arts consultant who voted for Cuomo, said she fears Mamdani “will not be able to stand up to Trump.”

Ariel Cohen, a registered Republican who voted for Cuomo but has voted for Trump several times, said he expects the president will do everything he can to prevent Mamdani from accomplishing his agenda — and hopes it works.

“Trump will likely have to send in agents from the National Guard and ICE as well,” Cohen said.

Wasif Chowdhury, a Mamdani campaign volunteer, said he fully expected Trump to try to punish the city in retaliation for the Democratic Socialists’ victory.

“We know he will try, but we are ready,” said Chaudhry, who works in finance. “We stood up to the establishment, and we will do the same to the president.”

Prices reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz, Philip Marcelo and Jake Aufenhartz contributed to this report.