President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, stating that if elected, he must “do the right thing” to avoid losing federal funding.
During a Sunday interview with Finance Newso News’ Maria Bartiromo, Trump asserted, “Let’s say this, if he does get in, I’m going to be president and he’s going to have to do the right thing, or they’re not getting any money.”
He emphasized, “He’s got to do the right thing,” reiterating a stance he has adopted before regarding withholding funds from local politicians in Democratic-leaning states.
Trump has a history of threatening to cut federal funding, notably targeting California over Governor Gavin Newsom’s policies related to transgender athletes in women’s sports.
While the former president specifically criticized Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist who recently unseated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, he broadened his warning to all candidates in the New York City mayoral race. “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,” Trump declared during the interview.
Mamdani, who has faced accusations from Trump labeling him a communist, has firmly rejected the assertion. He addressed the matter in a subsequent conversation with NBC News’ Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” stating, “I am not and I have already had to start to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I’m from, who I am.”
