Mamdani win escalates already combative relationship with Trump

NEW YORK — President Trump's dislike for Zohran Mamdani is so strong, he genuinely wanted Andrew Cuomo to win New York City's mayoral race, going as far as putting out an endorsement for the longtime Empire State Democrat. 

And the New York City mayor-elect’s dislike for Trump was on full display at his thunderous victory rally here Tuesday night, where he all but challenged the president to a rhetorical fist-fight: "Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up." 

Mamdani's victory will intensify what’s likely to be an ugly clash between the two men — both New Yorkers — who built their respective campaigns on beating the establishment but have vastly different goals.

“It’s going to be a contentious relationship,” said Democratic strategist Basil Smikle, who served as the executive director for the New York State Democratic Party. “That’s putting it mildly.” 

Trump did not call Mamdani in the hours after his victory Tuesday night, a source said. 

And even before Mamdani’s win, the president wasted no time in taking punches at the 34-year-old self-proclaimed democratic socialist. 

In interviews and remarks in recent days — as it was clear Mamdani would likely win the mayoral race —  the president threatened to withhold federal funds if Mamdani prevailed.

“If you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump said in an interview on CBS’s "60 Minutes" on Sunday, falsely describing the mayor-elect. 

The president has also threatened to deploy the National Guard to New York, but Mamdani wasted no time in pushing back. 

In an interview on ABC’s "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, Mamdani said he wouldn’t be intimidated by Trump’s threats to send troops. 

“His threats are inevitable,” Mamdani said in the interview. “This has nothing to do with safety. It has to do with intimidation.” 

“If it was safety, President Trump would be threatening to deploy the National Guard to the top 10 states of crime, eight out of which are all Republican-led,” Mamdani added. “But because of that party, he won’t actually be doing it.” 

Democratic strategist Anthony Coley predicted the tussle between the two men is “going to get nasty.” 

“Trump will no doubt try to punish Mamdani by threatening New York’s federal funding, but he should be careful — Mamdani knows how to mobilize young voters, including many who fueled Trump’s own coalition last year,” Coley said. 

At the same time, Democrats on Wednesday largely cheered Mamdani’s bare-knuckle approach, even as some cautioned that the mayor-elect would be wise to steer clear of a direct showdown with Trump. 

“The big question for Mamdani is, ‘How much of his mayoral term does he want to be fighting Trump?’” asked Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “It’s good politics for him right now, but if it becomes a p‑‑‑ing match between him and Trump, that’s not great for Mamdani.” 

Payne said that if he does take on fights with the president, it has to revolve around his campaign promises, such as affordability.

“I think it will be a challenge for him,” Payne said of Mamdani’s desire to battle Trump. “He’s going to have to make some choices.” 

Mamdani has also expressed a willingness to work with Trump on affordability and the high cost-of-living in New York City and told NBC News he “will continue to be open to speaking with Donald Trump, to meeting with Donald Trump, all of it on the premise of actually supporting New Yorkers.” 

“And so I’ll be there, ready to have that conversation around cost of living, if the president ever wants to,” the mayor-elect added. “But if the president wants to have a conversation about hurting New Yorkers, about sending more ICE agents here to terrorize families, about cuts that we’ve seen, whether it be taking from the city budget or suspending funding for city schools, or threatening $18 billion in infrastructure grants being withheld, that’s not something I’m going to go along with. That’s something I’m going to fight.” 

Political consultant Susan Del Percio, who is based in New York, acknowledged the dynamic between the two men “will be a very protagonistic relationship.” 

“Publicly, we can expect Trump to take off the gloves as he has in every other blue city,” Del Percio said, referring to the president’s spats with mayors in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Portland, Ore. 

But, she added, “the work that needs to get done will probably happen behind the scenes.” 

Just like in the mayoral race, however, Mamdani will have to contend with Cuomo supporters and more conservative New Yorkers, in general, who won’t be able to get behind his city hall policies. And that dynamic could exacerbate the existing tension with Trump, Democrats say. 

“I think a bigger and important problem is that he’ll have to manage the challenges from Cuomo’s supporters that may parrot Trump’s language locally, which could chip away at some of the political capital he’ll need early on to get policies implemented,” Smikle said.

For now, both men have relished making each other the foil as they rally their respective supporters. 

At his election night rally, on a night when Democrats felt an injection of energy after a bleak year, Mamdani made a point of not only name-checking Trump but previewing what’s to come. 

"If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him," Mamdani told the crowd.  "And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one."