Watch: Trump Threatens Arrest, Deportation of NYC Mayoral Nominee Zohran Mamdani
President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning targeting Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, vowing not to let the “crazy Communist” ruin the city, according to Ben Yaniv. Trump boasted, “I hold all the levers and cards,” promising to restore New York’s “hot” and “great” status, echoing his past U.S. revival claims.
President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, threatening arrest and deportation if Mamdani obstructs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Speaking at the “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention center in Florida, Trump said, “Well, then we’ll have to arrest him. Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation.” He falsely claimed, “A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally,” despite Mamdani, a 33-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Uganda to Indian parents, having lived in NYC since age seven.
Mamdani, who clinched the Democratic primary on June 24, 2025, with 56% of the vote against former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 44%, responded on X: “The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city. 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.” His campaign pledges include “Trump-proofing” NYC by halting ICE operations, freezing rents, offering free bus services, and taxing the wealthy.
Trump’s remarks followed Mamdani’s vow to protect immigrants from “masked ICE agents” and his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” drawing criticism from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said, “I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.” Mamdani’s support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and his threat to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “war crimes” have fueled controversy. Trump praised incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, running as an independent after corruption charges were dropped in September 2024, saying, “You have a good independent running – Mayor Adams, who is a very good person. I helped him out a little bit; he had a problem.” The November 2025 election pits Mamdani against Adams, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and possibly Cuomo as an independent.