Image Credit: Michael M. Santiago / Staff / Getty Images 
President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City if “democratic socialist” Zohran Mamdani wins the race for mayor in November.
Speaking to Maria Bartiromo of Fox News said he would take the drastic measure if Mamdani doesn’t “do the right thing.”
“He’s a communist,” Trump said.
“I think it’s very bad for New York. I don’t know that he’s gonna get in. It’s inconceivable… but he’s a communist, and he’s pure communist. I think he admits it. I can’t imagine it, but let’s say this: If he does get in, I’m gonna be president, then he’s going to have to do the right thing, but they’re not getting any money. He’s got to do to the right thing.”
Trump went on to make the threat a more general one.
“I can tell you this. Whoever’s mayor of New York is going to have to behave themselves, or the federal government is coming down very tough on them financially.”
Mamdani was in the news over the weekend after it was revealed that he wants to “shift the tax burden” to “richer and whiter neighborhoods” if he becomes New York’s next mayor.
The policy promise appears in a housing document titled “Supporting homeowners and ending deed theft” on Mamdani’s website.
The document says that if Mamdani is elected, his administration will “shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and whiter neighborhoods.”
The document continues: “The property tax system is unbalanced because assessment levels are artificially capped, so homeowners in expensive neighborhoods pay less than their fair share. The Mayor can fix this by pushing class assessment percentages down for everyone and adjusting rates up, effectively lowering tax payments for homeowners in neighborhoods like Jamaica and Brownsville while raising the amount paid in the most expensive Brooklyn brownstones.”
On Twitter, the proposal was greeted with a mixture of incomprehension and anger.
“WTF? Zohran Mamdani supports taxing ‘whiter neighborhoods’ in New York City higher than other boroughs,” wrote conservative commentator Eric Daugherty.
“This Ugandan is not only a radical Muslim socialist but a RACIST. NYC, please reject this psycho and choose Eric Adams instead.”
On Tuesday, Mamdani defeated former New York State governor Andrew Cuomo to win the Democratic nomination for the mayoralty.
He is running on a platform that includes a number of radical left-wing reforms, including the establishment of city-owned grocery stores, free childcare and a new tax on residents earning over $1 million a year.
The election will take place on 4 November, with the new mayor expected to take office the following January.
Mamdani is currently the favorite, with Star Sports offering odds of ¼ or 80% on his becoming mayor.
