Trump’s reaction to Zoran Mamdani’s New York mayoral election victory
President Donald Trump reacted to the 2025 election with more communist accusations about Zoran Mamdani. Let’s see what they said.
- President Donald Trump said he is working toward a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani.
- Mr. Trump had previously criticized Mr. Mamdani, labeling him a communist and supporting his opponent, Andrew Cuomo.
- After his win, Mamdani said he was interested in speaking with President Trump about services to New Yorkers.
President Donald Trump said he plans to meet with New York City Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani.
President Trump has repeatedly criticized Mamdani, calling him a communist, and has endorsed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who ran as an independent in the general election after losing the primary. But Mamdani, a 34-year-old state representative from Queens who identifies as a democratic socialist, won with historic turnout.
“The mayor of New York wants to meet with us and we’ll work something out, but he wants to come to Washington,” Trump told reporters on Nov. 16. “We want to see everything go well for New York.” White House press secretary Caroline Levitt confirmed to USA TODAY that Trump was referring to Mamdani (the current mayor is still Eric Adams). Mamdani’s transition team did not respond to requests for comment.
What did Trump say after Mamdani’s victory?
On Nov. 4, Mr. Mamdani, one of the few Democratic leaders to win key local and state elections, was seen by some as speaking out against Mr. Trump’s policies in his first poll ruling since returning to power. Mamdani’s campaign has garnered national attention for mobilizing record-breaking volunteer and voter turnout, especially given the Democratic Party’s crushing defeat in 2024.
President Trump has acknowledged that Republicans underperformed in these off-year elections, with some conservatives pointing out that the races were in blue states that Trump lost in 2024.
“According to the pollsters, ‘Trump didn’t show up and the government shutdown were two reasons why Republicans lost tonight’s election,'” Trump wrote on Truth Social late on Nov. 4, without mentioning the pollsters by name.
President Trump mentioned Mamdani the next day while speaking at the American Business Forum in Miami, Florida.
“On November 5, 2024, the American people took back their government,” President Trump said. “We have regained our sovereignty. We lost a little sovereignty in New York last night, but don’t worry, we will take care of it.”
President Trump has repeatedly called Mamdani a communist and supported Cuomo, a longtime Democrat, in the general election.
President Trump told “60 Minutes” the weekend before the election, “If it were a race between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’d honestly choose the bad Democrat any day.”
Mr. Mamdani is not a communist, but a democratic socialist. Communist societies are not democratic, but democratic socialism exists in European democracies such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
President Trump reiterated his claim that Mamdani was a communist in remarks on November 5 and said New Yorkers would flee to Miami.
“I hope it does well in New York. I love New York,” he said.
Mamdani addressed Trump in his victory speech on election night.
When he takes office in January 2026, Mamdani will lead not only the most populous city in the United States but also Trump’s hometown. Although his campaign focused on affordability, he did not shy away from progressive messages about fighting inequality and protecting the rights of immigrants.
“If there’s anyone who can teach the country betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it’s the city that produced him,” Mamdani said in his Nov. 4 victory speech. “So, Donald Trump, I know you’re watching, so I have four words for you: Turn up the volume.”
During the announcement of his transition team the day after the election, Mamdani said he had not received any congratulations from the White House but was interested in speaking with Trump.
“I remain interested in talking with President Trump about how we can work together to serve New Yorkers, whether it’s fulfilling his campaign promise on the cost of living, or the many issues New Yorkers have shared with me about the dramatic impact that the legislation President Trump has filed in Washington will have on them and their lives,” Mamdani said on Nov. 5.
Contributors: Francesca Chambers, Michael Collins, Eduardo Cuevas, america today
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), blue sky and TikTok.
