Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has denounced President Donald Trump's recent threats to arrest him over his pledge to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in New York City. Mamdani labelled Trump's remarks “an attack on our democracy” and “intimidation”.
Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, officially secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor on June 24. He will contest the general election scheduled for November.
As reported by Time magazine, Mamdani, who pulled off a major upset by defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary, had declared in his victory speech that he would “stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbours”. He also claimed he would be “Donald Trump's worst nightmare”.
Trump wasted no time in launching a political attack. He referred to Mamdani as “a communist”, warning that the city would become “a communistic city” under his leadership. “I can't believe that's happening,” Trump said, adding. “That's a terrible thing for our country, by the way.”
The controversy escalated further during a press briefing when Trump responded to Mamdani's vow to resist ICE enforcement by saying, “Well then, we'll have to arrest him,” Time reported.
Trump had also taken to social media to intensify his criticism, posting, “Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary and is on his way to becoming mayor. We've had radical lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous.”
In an interview with ABC News, Mamdani responded to the president's online outburst, saying, “You know, this is not the first time that President Trump is going to comment on me, and I encourage him — just like I encourage every New Yorker — to learn about my actual policies to make the city affordable.”
Addressing the arrest threat in a social media post, Mamdani later said, “Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorise our city.”
Mamdani added, “His statements don't just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation.”
My statement on Donald Trump's threat to deport me and his praise for Eric Adams, who the President "helped out" of legal accountability. https://t.co/m7pNcT2DFS pic.twitter.com/UcYakMx4lI
Mamdani emphasised his opposition to Trump's immigration crackdown. He told ABC, “But if he continues to focus on persecuting political enemies and on trying to detain and disappear New Yorkers, be it on the basis of their documentation or their sexual orientation or their politics, that is someone that I will fight time and again.”
The Trump administration's sweeping deportation drives have already drawn sharp backlash across the US, with particular resistance in cities like New York.
As reported by Time, in June, then-comptroller candidate Brad Lander was detained by federal agents at a Manhattan immigration court while trying to assist an individual being targeted for removal.Mass protests erupted in Los Angeles against ICE actions, prompting Trump to deploy the National Guard. The demonstrations soon spread nationwide, including in New York City.
Born in Uganda to South Asian parents, Mamdani could become New York City's first Muslim mayor if elected in November. Some Republican figures have called for his citizenship to be revoked, pointing out that he became a US citizen only in 2018.
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