U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his attacks Wednesday on Zohran Mamdani, the Muslim Democratic frontrunner in New York City's mayoral race, accusing him of antisemitism and calling him a “communist" who "practically... never worked a day in his life."
“It's impossible to think that New York City can have a communist mayor. He's not a socialist, by the way. There's a big difference... He hates police, he wants to get rid of all police," Trump told reporters at the White House. "He hates Jewish people, and yet he's got Jewish people supporting him.”
US President Donald Trump's remarks about Mamdani
He warned that if Mamdani wins, he would block federal funds from reaching the city and could even deploy the National Guard.
Mamdani, a Ugandan-born state assemblyman, currently holds a double-digit lead in the polls over former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Pollsters suggest Trump’s remarks could influence Jewish voters in key districts like Brooklyn, Queens and the Upper West Side, where public safety and community protection have become central campaign issues.
In response, Mamdani appeared publicly for the first time with New York Governor Kathy Hochul since she endorsed him, pledging to “fight for New York’s budget against threats from the White House.” Other high-profile endorsements have come from former vice president Kamala Harris, Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
On the other hand, senior Democrats such as Hakeem Jeffries and the most senior Jew in Congress, Chuck Schumer, have so far refrained from expressing open support for him, due to his anti-Zionist views.
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Zohran Mamdani, supports BDS and accuses Israel of 'genocide'
(Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
Mamdani continues to draw controversy over his stance on Israel. A supporter of the BDS movement, Mamdani has repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and long refrained from condemning calls for a “global intifada.”
On the same day Israeli hostages were released from Gaza as part of a Trump-brokered deal, Mamdani participated in a charity run for UNRWA—the UN agency accused of ties to Hamas. He later posted: “Today’s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving... We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik accused Mamdani of backing “pro-Hamas jihadists,” warning, “We cannot allow them to destroy New York.”
Despite the backlash, Mamdani has made recent efforts to connect with Jewish communities across the city. He visited synagogues in Brooklyn and Manhattan, attended Rosh Hashanah services and even received an invitation to a Satmar Hasidic sukkah, where he was introduced as a “friend of the Jewish people.” In a recent appearance at the reform synagogue Beth Elohim, Mamdani faced tough questions on antisemitism and Israel, stating he “opposes hatred of Jews and supports the safety of all communities in the city.”
Jewish voter support remains mixed. A poll last month showed that around 40% of Jewish voters would consider backing Mamdani for his progressive social and economic policies. However, a Siena College poll placed his support among Jewish voters closer to 20%, with sharp divides between younger, progressive voters and older, more conservative ones.
Trump, asked during a White House press briefing about Argentina’s elections, pivoted to warn about Mamdani, framing him as a threat to his “beloved city.” “We’re not going to ruin one of our great cities. We will clean up the crime in about 30 days—took 12 days to do Washington D.C.—so New York is bigger,” he said.
Trump hinted again at deploying the National Guard if Mamdani wins, adding, “If somebody is going to be a communist mayor of New York, it’s a fluke if he gets in. There's a lot of failed people he’s running against. You have inferior candidates because it's impossible to think that New York City can have a communist mayor.”
The comments may mark a shift in Trump’s strategy as he continues to spotlight rising antisemitism in major cities, echoing recent messaging on elite universities. Mamdani’s campaign has not directly addressed Trump’s latest accusation of antisemitism, but his advisers dismissed the remarks, saying they show “how scared Trump is of a candidate who speaks for the people.”