Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, spoke directly to the camera ― and directly to President Donald Trump ― in a Fox News interview laying out his posture toward the White House.
“I want to take this moment, because you spoke about President Trump, and he may be watching right now, and I just want to speak directly to the president,” Mamdani said during the Wednesday interview.
“I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail. I won’t be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo who will call you to ask how to win this election,” he added. “I can do those things on my own. I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living.”
Mamdani’s comments highlighted his campaign’s long-standing focus on affordability as a rare area where he could potentially work with the White House while maintaining a far less chummy position toward Trump than that of his predecessor and direct competition.
Mamdani has hit back as Trump repeatedly attacks him with unfounded questions about the state assemblymember’s citizenship status, by disparaging his political ideology and threatening to withhold federal funding from the city in the event of his election.
