logo
Trump weighs in on Mamdani's win: ‘a 100% Communist Lunatic'

Trump weighs in on Mamdani's win: ‘a 100% Communist Lunatic'

Politico5 hours ago

President Donald Trump weighed in on the big political upset in his former hometown, calling state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani 'a 100% Communist Lunatic' in a Wednesday afternoon post to his Truth Social platform.
His slam on lawmaker is the president's first public comments since Mamdani's apparent victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary.
'We've had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous,' Trump wrote. 'He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he's not very smart, he's got AOC+3, Dummies ALL backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin' Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him.'
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — who is Jewish and is not of Palestinian heritage — and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both congratulated Mamdani on Wednesday morning and vowed to meet with the state lawmaker, but stopped short of endorsing him.
Republicans have attempted to paint the 33-year-old democratic socialist as the face of the Democratic Party, and prominent conservative activists tied Mamdani to 9/11 in online attacks on his faith.
In a subsequent post, Trump facetiously suggested that Democrats should nominate Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for president and vice president respectively.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' is getting more expensive as the world's attention is on Iran
Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' is getting more expensive as the world's attention is on Iran

Yahoo

time31 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' is getting more expensive as the world's attention is on Iran

The long-awaited summer collision course for President Trump's economic agenda is here and now competing for attention with geopolitics. The competing storylines are playing out — just in parallel — after a weekend where the president's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" saw a new, higher price tag and the removal of key provisions in developments that were fully overshadowed by a weekend attack on Iran. Trump's priorities for taxes and the debt ceiling — not to mention tariffs — still face key deadlines in the weeks ahead, even as foreign affairs take center stage. On Saturday evening, shortly after the attacks on Iran commenced, Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) even released an analysis that made official how recent Senate changes to Trump's tax-cut bill are likely to increase the package's price tag by hundreds of billions of dollars. The group found that the Senate's changes on the tax front — once economists untangled a key budget gimmick — mean the bill will potentially add about $4.2 trillion to the deficits in the years ahead if passed as is. The bill is also undergoing a close examination by the Senate parliamentarian, who is moving section by section and has already deemed some provisions — such as defunding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and making cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — are not in line with Senate reconciliation rules. More changes are likely coming this week that could further increase the price tag and political pressure, even as key Republicans are still saying they will vote no, throwing into doubt a GOP goal of final votes within days. It all could also have near-term economic impacts. Wells Fargo head of global fixed income strategy Brian Rehling said in a recent Yahoo Finance appearance that developments in the bill could be "more consequential" to things like interest rates for the time being over even signals from the Federal Reserve. These developments come just weeks before Trump and the Republicans' self-imposed deadline to get the bill signed into law by July 4. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said that means the Senate will need to pass this bill this week to keep the timeline on pace. The weekend's Joint Committee on Taxation analysis focused specifically on the Senate Finance Committee's tax proposals and offered a headline number that would appear to be good news for fiscal hawks: It found the projected cost of the revised bill comes to about $441 billion over the coming decade. But that calculation came from an accounting maneuver known as a "current policy" baseline, which allows the bill to be calculated assuming current tax levels stay the same. That means Congress can say the cost of extending expiring provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is free, at least for accounting purposes. Republicans defend the practice, with Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo offering that it "more accurately reflects reality." But the bottom line is that these zeroed-out tax extensions are projected to add about $3.8 trillion to the national debt, versus the scenario of Congress doing nothing. "Ignore the $441 number, which is both trying to hide the cost of extensions and gimmick some specific policies to make them look cheaper," offered Marc Goldwein of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget following the release. Andrew Lautz of the Bipartisan Policy Center also offered a detailed breakdown of the differences brought by the assumptions, such as how it makes the approximately $2.1 trillion in costs from extending individual tax rate cuts look like they instead come to $83 billion. Goldwein, Lautz, and others say the full price tag that should be considered is the total impact to the nation's debt of $4.2 trillion over the next decade. The new price tag projections also come as Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough is going through the bill line by line to see if it complies with the Senate's strict reconciliation rules. It's part of a wonky Senate process known colloquially as a "Byrd bath," after a rule enshrined by Robert Byrd of West Virginia, that sets limits on what can be fast-tracked and what is subject to the normal 60-vote threshold. MacDonough has already analyzed the Banking, Commerce, Judiciary, and Homeland Security committee portions of the bill and found a series of provisions that must be taken out. So far, pieces that appear set to be removed from the bill include one that would have placed a funding cap on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and others that cut the SNAP program. The apparent removal of cuts to the SNAP program around state matching funds could have a significant fiscal impact. Those provisions were previously estimated to save roughly $128 billion. One other closely watched provision by the tech community — to cut broadband funding for states that regulate artificial intelligence — has been allowed to stay in but still faces political opponents pushing to have it struck from the package. It's a series of rulings that Republicans contend aren't yet final but appear set to change the makeup of the overall package. "The Byrd Rule is enshrined in law for a reason, and Democrats are making sure it is enforced," Oregon's Jeff Merkley, the top Democratic senator on the Budget Committee, said in a statement. Even more significant changes could be coming in the days ahead, with the parliamentarian scheduled to take a pass at the Senate Finance Committee's portion of the bill. That's where the biggest ticket items reside, such as tax provisions and Medicaid cuts. Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices Sign in to access your portfolio

Zohran Mamdani declares victory in NYC Democratic primary: How others are reacting
Zohran Mamdani declares victory in NYC Democratic primary: How others are reacting

Yahoo

time34 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Zohran Mamdani declares victory in NYC Democratic primary: How others are reacting

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old socialist Democrat and State Assembly member, is set to become the Democratic candidate for New York City's mayoral election. If Mamdani is elected in November he will be the city's first Muslim mayor. Due to the city's use of ranked-choice voting, the primary isn't officially over yet as the losing candidates' ballots will be redistributed to voters' second-choice candidates until someone breaks the 50% threshold, per NPR. But Mamdani declared victory after his closest competitor, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded. In the first round of counting, Mamdani garnered 44% of the ballots followed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo with 36%. As Mamdani declared victory, Cuomo — who was seen as the race's front-runner — conceded. Cuomo still has the option to run as a third party candidate in the general election. 'Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night,' Cuomo told supporters at a campaign event, per The Times of Israel. 'I want to applaud the assemblyman for a really smart and good and impactful campaign. Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.' Cuomo had led almost every poll leading up to the election. 'The Ugandan-born progressive mobilized young and first-time voters to pull off a stunning upset against the Democratic Party establishment in America's most populous city, with implications for the rest of the country,' per NPR. According to City Journal, Mamdani, a junior member of the State Assembly from Astoria in his second term, was relatively unknown a year ago. 'Combining social-media savvy with an army of zealous doorknockers, Mamdani has quickly transformed himself into a political force both loved and loathed,' per City Journal. Liena Zagare with City Journal interviewed each of the candidates ahead of the primary. This is what she wrote about Mamdani: 'The field's furthest-left candidate, brought ideological focus. His proposals — free transit, housing as a right, universal public goods — resonate with younger, frustrated voters. But when pressed on cost or implementation, he defaulted to values.' Zagare added that Mamdani offers voters moral clarity and urgency and that he has the movement but he does not have the operational plan. Each of the primary's candidates stressed the unaffordability of the city, but Mamdani campaigned almost exclusively on the cost of living. Rob Henderson with The Times, wrote that Mamdani grew up privileged and doesn't truly understand the struggles of the working class. He added that Mamdani's plans to implement government-run grocery stores, free buses and a rent freeze could end up hurting the working class more than it would help them. 'Working class voters know that, with his unrealistic promises, Mamdani sounds like a kid running for student council who promises longer recess and endless free pizza. It sounds great until someone asks who's paying for the pizza, or discovers that 'longer recess' means there's no time to teach the 3Rs,' Henderson wrote. Mamdani didn't win among New York's working class voters — instead his biggest supporters were educated, wealthier voters. The Wall Street Journal wrote that Wall Street is 'panicking' over the idea of Mamdani becoming mayor. 'Some of the world's most influential and powerful financiers were left grasping to understand what Mamdani's victory would mean for their industry — and whether they would leave the city," an article in the Journal said. During Mamdani's campaign he was accused of being both anti-Israel and antisemitic. Throughout his campaign Mamdani has been supported by the Working Families Party, a far-left party that canvassed and threw events for the assemblyman. 'People are tired of a status quo that isn't working for them. Zohran Mamdani's campaign has sent shockwaves across the country and shown what's possible when candidates have the courage to stay true to their values and speak authentically to working people,' said Maurice Mitchell the national director of the Working Families Party. 'That's what the Working Families Party was built for. From the biggest city to the smallest of towns, we're electing a new generation of candidates who will put working people first,' he added. As the news of Mamdani's assumed victory spread, political figures on both sides of the aisle have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the candidate. Brad Lander, NYC's comptroller, who took third in the Democratic primary and campaigned closely with Mamdani, posted on X in support of the Assemblyman. 'Hope and Solidarity won tonight, and will win again in November,' he wrote. New York City's current mayor, Eric Adams who plans on running as an independent in the general election posted on X following Cuomo's concession. 'We deserve a mayor who will keep driving down crime, support our police, fight antisemitism, and stand up for working-class New Yorkers,' he said. The Republican candidate for mayor, Curtis Sliwa also posted on X following Mamdani's apparent win. 'Zohran Mamdani is too extreme for a city already on edge,' he wrote. Laura Gillen, a Democratic congresswoman representing New York's 4th District, posted a statement on X addressing the primary election. 'Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City. His entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs,' she wrote. There have been people who have posted in support of Mamdani. Sen. Bernie Sanders posted on X congratulating Mamdani and his supporters. 'You took on the political, economic and media Establishment- and you beat them,' the senator wrote. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also congratulated Mamdani on X. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who campaigned alongside Mamdani, also posted on X congratulating the nominee. 'Your dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city,' she wrote. President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr. responded to a post on X about Mamdani's win, with a more pessimistic view. 'New York City has fallen,' he wrote. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, also posted on X sharing his thoughts on NYC's Democratic primary. 'Reject socialism,' he wrote. 'Vote Republican.' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., posted on X in support of Mamdani. 'Assemblyman Mamdani ran a strong campaign that relentlessly focused on the economy and bringing down the high cost of living in New York City,' he wrote.

The US and Iran have had bitter relations for decades. After the bombs, a new chapter begins.
The US and Iran have had bitter relations for decades. After the bombs, a new chapter begins.

Boston Globe

timean hour ago

  • Boston Globe

The US and Iran have had bitter relations for decades. After the bombs, a new chapter begins.

A B-2 bomber arrived at Whiteman Air Force Base Mo., on Sunday, the same aircraft used to carry out the US's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities over the weekend. David Smith/Associated Press This change of tone, however fleeting, came after the intense U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear-development sites this week, Iran's retaliatory yet restrained attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar and the The U.S. attack on three targets inflicted serious damage but did not destroy them, Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Here are some questions and answers about the long history of bad blood between the two countries: Advertisement Why did Trump offer blessings all around? In the first blush of a ceasefire agreement, even before Israel and Iran appeared to be fully on board, Trump exulted in the achievement. 'God bless Israel,' he posted on social media. 'God bless Iran.' He wished blessings on the Middle East, America and the world, too. When it became clear that all hostilities had not immediately ceased after all, he took to swearing instead. 'We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f— they're doing,' he said on camera. Advertisement In that moment, Trump was especially critical of Israel, the steadfast U.S. ally, for seeming less attached to the pause in fighting than the country that has been shouting 'Death to America' for generations and is accused of trying to assassinate him. Why did U.S.-Iran relations sour in the first place? In two words, Operation Ajax. That was the 1953 coup orchestrated by the CIA, with British support, that overthrew Iran's democratically elected government and handed power to the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The Western powers had feared the rise of Soviet influence and the nationalization of Iran's oil industry. The shah was a strategic U.S. ally who repaired official relations with Washington. But grievances simmered among Iranians over his autocratic rule and his bowing to America's interests. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, with a heavy escort, as he entered a car to leave the airport in Tehran in 1979 after arriving back in the country. FY/Associated Press All of that boiled over in 1979 when the shah fled the country and the theocratic revolutionaries took control, imposing their own hard line. How did the Iranian revolution deepen tensions? Profoundly. On Nov. 4, 1979, with anti-American sentiment at a fever pitch, Iranian students took 66 American diplomats and citizens hostage and held more than 50 of them in captivity for 444 days. It was a humiliating spectacle for the United States and President Jimmy Carter, who ordered a secret rescue mission months into the Iran hostage crisis. In Operation Eagle Claw, eight Navy helicopters and six Air Force transport planes were sent to rendezvous in the Iranian desert. A sand storm aborted the mission and eight service members died when a helicopter crashed into a C-120 refueling plane. FILE - Remains of a burned-out U.S. helicopter lis photographed in the eastern desert region of Iran, April 27,1980, one day after an abortive American commando raid to free the U.S. Embassy hostages. (AP Photo, File) Uncredited/Associated Press Diplomatic ties were severed in 1980 and remain broken. Iran released the hostages minutes after Ronald Reagan's presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, 1981. That was just long enough to ensure that Carter, bogged in the crisis for over a year, would not see them freed in his term. Advertisement Was this week's U.S. attack the first against Iran? No. But the last big one was at sea. On April 18, 1988, the U.S. Navy sank two Iranian ships, damaged another and destroyed two surveillance platforms in its largest surface engagement since World War II. Operation Praying Mantis was in retaliation against the mining of the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf four days earlier. Ten sailors were injured and the explosion left a gaping hole in the hull. Did the U.S. take sides in the Iran-Iraq war? Not officially, but essentially. The U.S. provided economic aid, intelligence sharing and military-adjacent technology to Iraq, concerned that an Iranian victory would spread instability through the region and strain oil supplies. Iran and Iraq emerged from the 1980-1988 war with no clear victor and the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives, while U.S.-Iraq relations fractured spectacularly in the years after. What was the Iran-Contra affair? An example of U.S.-Iran cooperation of sorts — an illegal, and secret, one until it wasn't. Retired Air Force Major Gen. Richard Secord recieved some advice from his attorney Thomas Green while testifying on Capitol Hill before a congressional committee holding hearings on the Iran-Contra affair, in 1987, LANA HARRIS/Associated Press Not long after the U.S. designated Iran a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984 — a status that remains — it emerged that America was illicitly selling arms to Iran. One purpose was to win the release of hostages in Lebanon under the control of Iran-backed Hezbollah. The other was to raise secret money for the Contra rebels in Nicaragua in defiance of a U.S. ban on supporting them. President Ronald Reagan fumbled his way through the scandal but emerged unscathed — legally if not reputationally. How many nations does the U.S. designate as state sponsors of terrorism? Only four: Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria. The designation makes those countries the target of broad sanctions. Syria's designation is being reviewed in light of the fall of Bashar Assad's government. Advertisement Where did the term 'Axis of Evil' come from? From President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address. He spoke five months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the year before he launched the invasion of Iraq on the wrong premise that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. He singled out Iran, North Korea and Saddam's Iraq and said: 'States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.' In this January 2002 photo, former President George W. Bush labels North Korea, Iran and Iraq an "axis of evil" during his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill. DOUG MILLS/Associated Press In response, Iran and some of its anti-American proxies and allies in the region took to calling their informal coalition an Axis of Resistance at times. What about those proxies and allies? Some, like Hezbollah and Hamas, are degraded due to Israel's fierce and sustained assault on them. In Syria, Assad fled to safety in Moscow after losing power to rebels once tied to Islamic State terrorism but now cautiously welcomed by Trump. In Yemen, Houthi rebels who have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea and pledge common cause with Palestinians have been bombed by the U.S. and Britain. In Iraq, armed Shia factions controlled or supported by Iran still operate and attract periodic attacks from the United States. What about Iran's nuclear program? In 2015, President Barack Obama and other powers struck a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear development in return for the easing of sanctions. Iran agreed to get rid of an enriched uranium stockpile, dismantle most centrifuges and give international inspectors more access to see what it was doing. This image released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency shows President Hassan Rouhani has he listened to explanations on new nuclear achievements at a ceremony to mark "National Nuclear Day," in Tehran in April 2018. Uncredited/Associated Press Trump assailed the deal in his 2016 campaign and scrapped it two years later as president, imposing a 'maximum pressure' campaign of sanctions. He argued the deal only delayed the development of nuclear weapons and did nothing to restrain Iran's aggression in the region. Iran's nuclear program resumed over time and, according to inspectors, accelerated in recent months. Advertisement Trump's exit from the nuclear deal brought a warning from Hassan Rouhani, then Iran's president, in 2018: 'America must understand well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace. And war with Iran is the mother of all wars.' How did Trump respond to Iran's provocations? In January 2020, Trump ordered the drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran's top commander, when he was in Iraq. Then Iran came after him, according to President Joe Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland. Days after Trump won last year's election, the Justice Department filed charges against an Iranian man believed to still be in his country and two alleged associates in New York. Coffins of Gen. Qassem Soleimani and others who were killed in Iraq by a US drone strike were carried on a truck surrounded by mourners, in the city of Kerman, Iran, in January 2020. Uncredited/Associated Press 'The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran's assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump,' Garland said. Now, Trump is seeking peace at the table after ordering bombs dropped on Iran, and offering blessings. It is potentially the mother of all turnarounds.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store