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U.S. President Donald Trump said New York City’s federal funding would be at risk if it elects the democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor. Speaking during a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday, Trump called Mamdani—who is currently well ahead in the polls and looks set to win the mayoral election—a “communist,” adding that “it’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York.” Trump said: “Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.” Mamdani has campaigned on proposals he says would make the city more adorable, including free bus service, universal child care, and a rent freeze for stabilized apartments. Newsweek contacted the White House and Mamdani’s campaign for comment via email outside regular business hours on Monday. Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (C) raises his hands during a campaign event with New York City elected officials on November 1, 2025 in the Queens borough of New York City. Why It Matters Any cuts to funding would have an impact since federal grants are a major source of revenue for America’s largest city, supporting a number of essential services and programs. It could mean less money for public hospitals, the transit system, public safety and education. The Trump administration recently blocked billions of dollars in funding for New York City infrastructure projects. Last month, White House budget director Russell Vought said the administration was pausing about $18 billion in funding for the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Ave Subway to “ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] principles.” What To Know During the interview, Trump was asked what he thinks about comparisons that have been made between him and Mamdani. “Some people have compared him to a left-wing version of you, charismatic, breaking the old rules. What do you think about that?” correspondent Norah O’Donnell asked Trump. He said: “Well, I think I’m a much better looking person than him, right?” Did Donald Trump Endorse Andrew Cuomo? Trump went on to say that he would “pick” disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo over Mamdani, Cuomo is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June. He said: “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.” Trump was also asked about Cuomo’s recent comments during a debate that the president wants Mamdani elected so he can “take over” the city. “Oh, that’s so crazy,” Trump replied. Trump on Deploying Troops to NYC However, Trump did suggest last month that he may deploy troops to New York City as he has with other Democrat-led cities in recent months. “We’re not going to ruin one of our great cities because we’ll make that great. We will clean up the crime in about 30 days,” he said. “It took 12 days to do Washington, D.C., so New York is bigger, and Chicago, we’ve already made a lot of progress despite fighting from the government.” What People Are Saying Donald Trump also said that Mamdani would be a worse mayor than Bill de Blasio, adding: “I got to see de Blasio, how bad a mayor he was, and this man will do a worse job than de Blasio by far.” Zohran Mamdani responded to Trump’s interview with a post on X that said the president had endorsed Cuomo in the interview, adding: “Congratulations, @AndrewCuomo. I know how hard you worked for this.” What’s Next New Yorkers will head to the polls on November 4 to elect their city’s next mayor.
