Zohran Mamdani knocks Donald Trump criticism, denies accusation he's a communist
- - - Zohran Mamdani knocks Donald Trump criticism, denies accusation he's a communist
Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY June 29, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Democratic candidate for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani denied President Donald Trump's accusations that he supports communism, saying the president wants to "distract from what I'm fighting for" in a new interview.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state Assembly member, won the Democratic primary over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was long considered the frontrunner and establishment candidate. Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams is running as an independent on the November ballot.
When asked to respond to Trump's repeated assertions that he is a communist, Mamdani told "Meet the Press" on June 29 that he isn't, explaining that "I've 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."
"He wants to distract from what I'm fighting for," Mamdani said. "I'm fighting for the the very working people he ran a campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed."
Several leading Republicans have also called for Mamdani, who immigrated to the United States as a child, to be deported.
Earlier in the day, Trump called Mamdani a communist and a "radical left lunatic" on Maria Bartiromo's "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News.
"He's a communist. I think it is very bad for New York. I don't know that he's going to get in. It is inconceivable that he is," Trump said.
Mamdani is not a communist. He is a democratic socialist. A communist believes in collective ownership of all property and the end of capitalism. A democratic socialist doesn't believe in ending capitalism, but aims to reform it through democracy
Mamdani also said that he is committed to keeping New York a sanctuary city.
"Ultimately, we've seen that this is a policy that has kept New Yorkers safe for decades. It's a policy that had previously been defended by Democrats and Republicans alike, until the fear mongering of this current mayor," he said.
Adams called for changes to sanctuary city laws that advocates say protect migrants in New York. He has also pushed for more cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a move that requires a vote from the city council.
The changes came shortly after the Department of Justice dropped federal corruption charges against Adams. Democrats accuse him of cozying up to Trump to avoid the legal challenges.
State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani celebrates winning New York City's Democratic primary in the mayor race on June 24, 2025.
Trump said Mamdani would be "very unsuccessful" if he tries to keep New York a sanctuary city.
"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's got to do the right thing," Trump said.
Trump said he would not publicly back a candidate in the race, which along with Mamdani, Cuomo and Adams includes a third independent candidate and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
"Whoever is the mayor of New York is going to have to behave themselves or the federal government is coming down very tough on them financially," Trump said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mamdani knocks Trump criticism, hits back at communism accusation
Source: AOL Politics
