Trump ramps up his attacks against NYC's Zohran Mamdani as GOP seizes on new foe
The president, who has a history of spewing sometimes vile insults at rivals, has in recent days escalated his attacks against the 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist. Trump has threatened to arrest Mamdani, to deport him and even to take over the country's largest city if he wins the general election in November.
'As President of the United States, I'm not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York. Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards,' Trump wrote in an ominous message on his Truth Social site Wednesday morning. 'I'll save New York City, and make it ′Hot′ and ′Great′ again, just like I did with the Good Ol' USA!'
Mamdani's surprise victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has given Republicans a new target as they seek to paint the entire Democratic Party as extreme and out of touch with voters heading into elections this fall in New Jersey and Virginia and next year's high-stakes midterm elections. Since Mamdani's win, they have repeatedly highlighted his most controversial past comments and positions, casting him as dangerous, a communist, and an antisemite, and trying to tie him to all other Democratic officials.
That has included intense criticism of his platform, as well as blatantly xenophobic and Islamophobic attacks.
If Mamdani wins, he would become the city's furthest-left mayor in modern history. He ran on a platform that included opening city-run grocery stores, making buses free, freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments, and raising property taxes on ' richer and whiter neighborhoods.'
Though he softened his stance as he campaigned, he called the New York Police Department 'racist, anti-queer and a major threat to public safety' in a 2020 social media post, and in others, called for abolishing the entire prison system.
He has also drawn intense criticism from members of both parties over his pro-Palestinian advocacy. That has included describing Israel's war in Gaza as 'genocide,' his refusal to disavow use of the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' which is seen as a call to violence for many Jews. Also, for his refusal to support the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state.
His rise has sparked infighting and highlighted divisions among national Democratic officials, donors and political operatives. While many progressives have celebrated, seeing him as the future of a party aligned with leaders like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, moderates have bemoaned the election's outcome as a setback in their quest to broaden Democrats' appeal and move past the more controversial policies that appears to have alienated some voters in recent elections.
Trump threatens Mamdani's citizenship
Trump unleashed some of his sharpest threats against Mamdani Tuesday, during a visit to a new migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades.
If Mamdani blocks ICE agents from making arrests in the city, 'Well, then we'll have to arrest him,' he said. 'Look, we don't need a communist in this country. But if we have one, I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation.'
Trump also amplified a false allegation that Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents and came to New York when he was 7, is in the country illegally.
'A lot of people are saying he's here illegally. We're going to look at everything,' he said.
Mamdani, who is Muslim, became a naturalized American citizen a few years after he graduated from college. If elected, he would be the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor.
Mamdani addressed the criticism during an appearance Wednesday, telling reporters that Trump is focusing on him to distract the public from the Republican mega tax and spending cuts bill that is moving through Congress.
'Donald Trump said that I should be arrested. He said that I should be deported. He said that I should be denaturalized. And he said those things about me … because he wants to distract from what I fight for,' he said. 'I fight for the same people that he said he was fighting for. This is the same president who ran on a campaign of cheaper groceries, who ran on a campaign about easing the suffocating cost of living crisis. And ultimately, it is easier for him to fan the flames of division than to acknowledge the ways in which he has betrayed those working-class Americans.'
Conservatives have turned their focus on Mamdani
Until Mamdani's win, Trump and other Republicans had struggled to find a compelling foil. He frequently invokes his predecessor, Joe Biden. But with Democrats out of power and without a clear party leader, Trump has bounced from one official to the next, recently focusing his ire on Texas progressive Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Since Mamdani's national rise and toppling of Cuomo, conservative politicians and commentators have turned their focus on him.
That effort was on display Wednesday, when Republicans blasted House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for defending Mamdani.
'Leader' Jeffries Just Bent the Knee to Commie Mamdani,' the National Republican Congressional Committee wrote in an email blast, adding: 'This radical platform is the future of the Democrat Party, and voters should be terrified.'
The attacks have been brewing.
Weeks before the primary, Vickie Paladino, a Republican member of the New York City Council, called for Mamdani to be deported. After Mamdani declared victory over Cuomo last week, Rep. Randy Fine, a Florida Republican, wrote on X that 'If Mamdani has his way, NYC classrooms won't be teaching the Constitution in civics class. They'll be teaching Sharia Law.'
Another Republican congressman, Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas, circulated a video of Mamdani eating a rice dish with his hands on X and wrote, 'Civilized people in America don't eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World.'
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, of Tennessee, has referred to Mamdani as 'little muhammad' and late last month wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for the Justice Department to investigate whether Mamdani should be denaturalized as a citizen.
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tibetans in exile wonder: Will the next Dalai Lama be as charismatic as this one?
DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama has announced that he intends to reincarnate, paving the way for a successor to take on a mantle stretching back 500 years after his death. But as he approaches his 90th birthday, that news hasn't eased the worries of Tibetan Buddhists who wonder: What will happen when this Dalai Lama is gone? For decades, the 14th Dalai Lama has been more than a spiritual leader. He has sustained a nation in exile and managed to build a community that's kept the Tibetan culture and identity alive. He is the China -reviled spokesperson for a Tibetan homeland that many, like him, can see only from afar. He has received a Nobel Peace Prize and been courted by royalty, politicians and Hollywood stars, helping him draw global attention and support for Tibet. When his death comes, it will pitch the global Tibetan community into uncertainty, perhaps for years. His successor will have to be found through the traditional process of reincarnation. China, whose troops took control of Tibet in 1950, says it will reject anyone chosen without Beijing's consent. Tibetans in India's Himalayan town of Dharamshala, the Dalai Lama's home in exile, and scattered around the world fear a new onslaught on their cultural and religious identity. 'The absence of His Holiness would be a huge setback for the Tibetans,' said Penpa Tsering, the head of the democratically elected Tibetan government-in-exile. 'The responsibility lies on us as to how we carry forward the legacy of His Holiness.' A long gap The Dalai Lama has become one of the world's most recognizable figures while leading a Tibetan diaspora through their struggle for autonomy and opposition of China's control of Tibet. He has not named a successor, but he says they will be born in the 'free world' — outside China. Previous Dalai Lamas have been identified by senior monastic disciples, under strict religious rituals meant to identify their predecessor's reincarnation. Monks interpret signs, consult oracles and send search committees to Tibetan households looking for a child who exhibits the qualities of the Dalai Lama. All of this takes years of effort, leaving a leadership vacuum. Years of religious education and training are needed before the identified successor grows up and takes up full responsibilities as spiritual leader. China has already sought to elevate other spiritual figures, particularly Tibetan Buddhism's No. 2 figure, the Panchen Lama, whose legitimacy is highly contested by many Tibetans at home and in exile. Gyaltsen Norbu was installed by Beijing as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995 after followers of the Dalai Lama recognized a different boy as the Panchen's incarnation. That boy disappeared soon after. Joy and stubbornness And there's no guarantee the successor will have the current Dalai Lama's charisma, or his ability to balance a sense of joy with the stubbornness needed to counter China. 'He is a fulcrum, he's the epitome of the Tibetan movement,' said writer and activist Tenzin Tsundue, who was born in India. Tsundue for years has advocated for Tibet's autonomy. To him, the current Dalai Lama's absence will be hugely felt. Like many other Tibetans, however, his hopes are pinned on the government in exile. 'How is home not anything but a genuine human demand?' he added. Such concerns are most prevalent in Dharamshala, where a Tibetan community of over 20,000 administers its own schools, hospitals and monasteries and elects its own lawmakers and president. The Dalai Lama handed over his political powers to a democratically elected government in 2011. Beijing is likely to appoint its own candidate China doesn't recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile and brands the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist. It has shunned direct contact with his representatives for more than a decade. It has insisted that the Dalai Lama's successor will be from inside China and must be approved by its government. Tibetans in exile have long been wary of the officially atheist Chinese government's attempts to meddle with the Tibetan Buddhism reincarnation system. They see it as part of Beijing's plan to tighten its control over Tibet. 'If they do it, they are actually making a mockery of themselves among the free countries,' said Geshe Lhakdor, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, calling Beijing's stance 'hypocrisy.' Tibetans say they were effectively independent for centuries and accuse China of trying to wipe out Tibet's Buddhist culture and language. Many of the more than 7 million Tibetans living under Chinese rule accuse Beijing of stifling religious freedoms, changing its ethnic makeup by moving millions of Han Chinese into the region and torturing political prisoners. The Chinese government denies these allegations. Waning global attention For years, governments across the world have feted the Dalai Lama for advocating for Tibetan rights and spreading a message of nonviolence. They have also helped him raise tens of millions of dollars to build Tibetan cultural and religious institutions. But Tsundue said that global powers have become more unreliable in their support of the Tibetan cause as China's influence grows. 'Everybody has benefited at our cost because they have been trading with China,' Tsundue said. 'We are, in a way, a victim of geopolitics.' Some countries, including the United States, view Beijing's attempts to control the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama as a violation of religious freedom and Tibetan cultural tradition. Others, like the European Union and India, have maintained a cautious stance to avoid friction with China. Tsering, the president of the government-in-exile, acknowledged this, calling Tibetans' efforts to keep the issue of Tibet alive 'a miracle.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. He also cautioned that the future depends on the Tibetan people at large. Under the Dalai Lama's 'Middle Way' policy, the movement for Tibet's autonomy has largely been nonviolent. It espouses autonomy under Chinese sovereignty. The newly announced succession plan, however, can prompt a reckoning of that policy, and it is unclear how the Dalai Lama's successor might approach dialogue with Beijing. Tsering cautioned that much could change in the coming years. His biggest worry is that the Dalai Lama's death in exile could trigger a violent response inside Tibet, where in recent years hundreds of monks and others reportedly set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese rule. 'I hope the Tibetans won't get radicalized,' he said.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
South Korea's leader says trade deal with US remains unclear ahead of Trump's deadline
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that it remained unclear whether Seoul and Washington could conclude their tariff negotiations by the deadline set by President Donald Trump for next week, noting Thursday that both nations were still working to clarify their positions and identify areas of agreement. Speaking at his first news conference since taking office last month, Lee also reiterated his intentions to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, though he acknowledged that mutual distrust between the Koreas is too deep to heal anytime soon.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
U.S. House Republicans stall again in vote on Trump's tax-cut bill
House Republicans were straining past midnight to advance President Donald Trump's tax and spending cuts package despite GOP leaders having spent the afternoon and evening working furiously to persuade skeptical holdouts to send it to his desk by the Fourth of July deadline. The roll call vote that started late Wednesday was held open for hours as several Republicans refused to give their votes. With few to spare from their slim majority, the outcome was in jeopardy. House Speaker Mike Johnson had recalled lawmakers to Washington, eager to seize on the momentum of the bill's passage the day before in the Senate, and he vowed to press ahead. 'Everybody wants to get to yes,' Johnson said during an interview on Fox News as the voting was underway. But as voting stalled Trump lashed out in a midnight post: 'What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove???' He also warned starkly of political fallout from the delay 'COSTING YOU VOTES!!!' What's really in Trump's big spending bill? The idea of quickly convening to for a vote on the more than 800-page bill was a risky gambit, one designed to meet Trump's demand for a holiday finish. Republicans have struggled mightily with the bill nearly every step of the way, often succeeding by the narrowest of margins – just one vote. Their slim 220-212 majority leaves little room for defections. Several Republicans are balking at being asked to rubber-stamp the Senate version less than 24 hours after passage. A number of moderate Republicans from competitive districts have objected to the Senate bill's cuts to Medicaid, while conservatives have lambasted the legislation as straying from their fiscal goals. It falls to Johnson and his team to convince them that the time for negotiations is over. They will need assistance from Trump to close the deal, and lawmakers headed to the White House for a two-hour session Wednesday to talk to the president about their concerns. 'The president's message was, 'We're on a roll,'' said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. 'He wants to see this.' Republicans are relying on their majority hold of Congress to push the package over a wall of unified Democratic opposition. No Democrats voted for bill in the Senate and none were expected to do so in the House. 'Hell no!' said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, flanked by fellow Democrats outside the Capitol. In an early warning sign of Republican resistance, a resolution setting up terms for debating Trump's bill barely cleared the House Rules Committee on Wednesday morning. As soon as it came to the full House, it stalled out as GOP leadership waited for lawmakers who were delayed coming back to Washington and conducted closed-door negotiations with holdouts. By nightfall, as pizzas and other dinners were arriving at the Capitol, the next steps were uncertain. The bill would extend and make permanent various individual and business tax breaks from Trump's first term, plus temporarily add new ones he promised during the 2024 campaign. This includes allowing workers to deduct tips and overtime pay, and a $6,000 deduction for most older adults earning less than $75,000 a year. In all, the legislation contains about $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over 10 years. The bill also provides about $350 billion for defence and Trump's immigration crackdown. Republicans partially pay for it all through less spending on Medicaid and food assistance. The Congressional Budget Office projects the bill will add about $3.3 trillion to the federal debt over the coming decade. The House passed its version of the bill in May by a single vote, despite worries about spending cuts and the overall price tag. Now it's being asked to give final passage to a version that, in many respects, exacerbates those concerns. The Senate bill's projected impact on the nation's debt, for example, is significantly higher. 'Lets go Republicans and everyone else,' Trump said in a late evening post. Johnson is intent on meeting Trump's timeline and betting that hesitant Republicans won't cross the president because of the heavy political price they would have to pay. They need only look to Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who announced his intention to vote against the legislation over the weekend. Soon, the president was calling for a primary challenger to the senator and criticizing him on social media. Tillis quickly announced he would not seek a third term. One House Republican who has staked out opposition to the bill, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, is being targeted by Trump's well-funded political operation. Flanked by nearly every member of his caucus, Democratic Leader Jeffries of New York delivered a pointed message: With all Democrats voting 'no,' they only need to flip four Republicans to prevent the bill from passing. Jeffries invoked the 'courage' of the late Sen. John McCain giving a thumbs-down to the GOP effort to 'repeal and replace' the Affordable Care Act, and singled out Republicans from districts expected to be highly competitive in 2026, including two from Pennsylvania. 'Why would Rob Bresnahan vote for this bill? Why would Scott Perry vote for this bill?' Jeffries asked. Democrats have described the bill in dire terms, warning that Medicaid cuts would result in lives lost and food stamp cuts would be 'literally ripping the food out of the mouths of children, veterans and seniors,' Jeffries said Monday. Republicans say they are trying to right-size the safety net programs for the population they were initially designed to serve, mainly pregnant women, the disabled and children, and root out what they describe as waste, fraud and abuse. The package includes new 80-hour-a-month work requirements for many adults receiving Medicaid and applies existing work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to more beneficiaries. States will also pick up more of the cost for food benefits. The driving force behind the bill, however, is the tax cuts. Many expire at the end of this year if Congress doesn't act. The Tax Policy Center, which provides non-partisan analysis of tax and budget policy, projected the bill would result next year in a $150 tax break for the lowest quintile of Americans, a $1,750 tax cut for the middle quintile and a $10,950 tax cut for the top quintile. That's compared with what they would face if the 2017 tax cuts expired.
