President Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, and now Mamdani and New York Democrats are responding.
Trump threatened to arrest Mamdani if as mayor he follows through on pledges not to assist federal officials enforcing immigration laws.
“Well then, we’ll have to arrest him,” Trump told reporters on July 1 while visiting a detention center in Florida. Trump that he would “be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation.”
Trump also said “a lot of people are saying he’s here illegally,” which is false. Mamdani is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Uganda, who immigrated to the United States with his parents − film director Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani − at the age of seven.
Mamdani, a state Assembly member who won the nomination for mayor on a progressive platform, responded on social media that Trump is threatening him despite the fact that not cooperating with ICE doesn’t violate any law. (The Immigrant Legal Resource Center notes “There is no federal legal obligation for state and local jurisdictions to use their resources to help with immigration enforcement.”)
“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,” Mamdani said. “We will not accept this intimidation.”
The clash represents an escalation of tensions over immigration enforcement, as well as an outpouring of xenophobic reactions to Mamdani’s victory from Republicans and conservatives. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tennessee, called for Mamdani to be stripped of his citizenship and deported and offensively referred to Mamdani as “little muhammad” in reference to his Muslim religion.
Trump made border security a priority in his administration. He deployed the National Guard to help ICE conduct raids in Los Angeles after sometimes violent protests there. The Justice Department sued Los Angeles to halt its “sanctuary” policies refusing to help federal agents.
But California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Karen Bass said the raids and National Guard troops exacerbated tensions that led to the protests where rocks were thrown at federal authorities and cars were burned.
The arrest threat is just the latest clash between Trump and Mamdani.
Trump wrongly called Mamdani a communist and a “radical left lunatic” on Maria Bartiromo’s “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News.
Mamdani, 33, beat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary, 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 aims to reform capitalism through democracy.
Mamdani faces New York Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent on the November ballot.
Zohran Mamdani, New York City Mayoral Candidate, and Letitia James, Attorney General of New York, take part in the 2025 NYC Pride March on June 29, 2025 in New York City.
Trump’s comments drew swift pushback from some New York elected officials, including those that distanced themselves from Mamdani after his June 24 upset against Cuomo, the three-term governor who resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal.
“I don’t care if you’re the President of the United States,” Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted, “if you threaten to unlawfully go after one of our neighbors, you’re picking a fight with 20 million New Yorkers — starting with me.”
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who recently won the nomination for city comptroller, said, “This is not normal. This is not acceptable. These are the words of an unhinged would-be dictator.”
In attacking Mamdani, Trump backs Mayor Eric Adams
Trump also gave support to Adams, the embattled mayor who opted not to run in the Democratic primary amid a corruption scandal. Adams is now running in the Nov. 4 general election as an independent.
“I helped him out a little bit,” Trump said. “He had a problem.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks as he announces his re-election campaign as an independent after leaving the Democratic Party, at City Hall in New York City, U.S., June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan indicted Adams on corruption charges before Trump’s Justice Department intervened to drop the charges. Officials said the case interfered with Adams’ ability to conduct the administration’s priorities on immigration enforcement, and that he was running for reelection. Several prosecutors resigned in protest of senior officials’ actions to drop the case.
Adams has denied wrongdoing or that he negotiated with the administration.
Trump falsely said prosecutors indicted Adams “the following day” he made comments about the influx of migrants to New York City.
Adams’ office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
“That was a Biden indictment,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Don’t feel bad, I got indicted five times.'”
Adams, a centrist Democrat, is one of a number of candidates in the November election for mayor. Curtis Sliwa, the GOP nominee, has said he won’t drop out of the race and Cuomo is mulling an independent bid as well.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Donald Trump threatens to arrest Zohran Mamdani