Former President Donald Trump has publicly declared he may withhold more than the minimum federal funding from New York City if progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the upcoming mayoral election.
Trump endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo—who is now running as an independent—directly urging voters not to support Mamdani, whom he labelled a “communist.” In a post on his social media platform, Trump said, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa … is a vote for Mamdani,” signalling he would prefer Cuomo over both opponents.
He stated: “It is highly unlikely that I will be contributing federal funds, other than the very minimum as required,” if Mamdani becomes mayor. The former president, who grew up in Queens and still holds property in New York, described it as being “hard for me … to give a lot of money to New York” under the condition of Mamdani’s leadership.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblyman who would become the city’s first Muslim mayor and youngest in over a century if elected, rejected the “communist” label and said Trump’s remarks constituted a threat—not grounded in law—to limit funding.
Cuomo, meanwhile, framed his candidacy as the only experienced option able to deal with the federal government. He recalled his battles with Trump during the pandemic, saying: “When I’m fighting for New York, I am not going to stop.”
The implications of Trump’s remarks extend beyond this mayoral race: they reflect broader patterns in his political strategy of linking federal funding decisions to state and local governments based on political alignment, raising concerns over the interplay of fiscal policy and partisan considerations.
