Trump calls New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani 'a communist'
President Donald Trump on Friday called New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani "a communist," and said the Big Apple will become "a communistic city" if he is elected mayor in November.
"I can't believe that's happening," Trump told reporters at the White House. "That's a terrible thing for our country, by the way."
Trump's comments came three days after Mamdani — who is a democratic socialist, not a communist — scored a stunning victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the first round of the city's Democratic mayoral primary.
Cuomo conceded to Mamdani late Tuesday night, acknowledging the strong likelihood that the next round of the primary's ranked-choice voting system would confirm Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, as the Democratic Party's nominee.
Mamdani won the initial primary round despite the fact that many prominent Democrats had endorsed Cuomo.
His victory has sent some major investors, New York business leaders and conservative news commentators into a tizzy over the now-very-real possibility that Mamdani, a three-term state assemblyman, will be the mayor of America's largest city.
Mamdani's campaign platform calls for an increase in the corporate tax rate, higher taxes on the wealthy, a rent freeze and free buses.
Trump acknowledged the alarm over Mandani among business leaders, saying they are "worried that somebody like this communist from New York someday gets elected."
"He's a communist. We're going to go to a communistic city," said the president. "That's so bad for New York."
CNBC has requested comment from Mamdani's campaign about Trump's remarks.
Phillip Laffront, founder of the Coatue Management hedge fund, told CNBC on Wednesday that if Mamdani wins the general election, some wealthy investors could decide to move away from the city.
"Some people are going to, for sure, go," Laffont said on "Squawk Box."
Cuomo has not yet announced whether he plans to run for mayor this fall as an independent.
New York City's current mayor, Eric Adams, is already seeking re-election as an independent candidate.
Initially elected as a Democrat, Adams decided earlier this year to run for re-election as an independent, rather than ask fellow Democrats to nominate him on the party's ballot.
Adams has become increasingly unpopular in New York after he was indicted in September on federal corruption charges brought by the Department of Justice when Democratic former President Joe Biden was still in office.
After Trump took office in January, the DOJ asked a judge to dismiss the case against Adams, arguing that prosecuting the mayor would interfere with his ability to govern the city and to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, a priority for the new president.
Seven federal prosecutors, including the acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney whose office was handling the case, resigned in protest over the DOJ's effort to drop Adams' prosecution.
In April, District Court Judge Dale Hole dismissed the case against Adams with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be resurrected by the DOJ when Adams leaves office.
In his order, Ho blasted the Justice Department, which had initially wanted the case dismissed without prejudice, which would allow prosecutors to re-open the case at some point, potentially.
"Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions" by Adams, Ho wrote.
The judge said that dismissing the case without prejudice "would create the unavoidable perception that the Mayor's freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration."
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