Trump Signals Reluctance to Fund NYC if Mamdani is Elected Mayor

Mon Nov 10 2025 23:02:08 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a recent interview, President Trump expressed doubts about funding New York City under the potential leadership of leftist candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling it 'hard' to allocate resources to a city he views as risking mismanagement.

President Donald Trump stated that he would struggle to provide federal funding to New York City if left-wing candidate Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor. In a television interview, Trump criticized Mamdani's political stance and indicated a preference for former Governor Andrew Cuomo over Mamdani. Trump highlighted his administration's history of budget cuts impacting Democratic-run areas and expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of funding under a socialist leadership. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has positioned himself against Trump and has promised to bring change to the city's governance.

US President Donald Trump has said he would be reluctant to send federal funding to his hometown of New York if left-wing front-runner Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor of America's biggest city this week.

It's gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there, Trump stated in a television interview.

The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to cut federal grants and funding for projects primarily located in Democratic-run areas.

Opinion polls indicate Mamdani is ahead of his main rival, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on the eve of Tuesday's vote.

Trump did not elaborate on his remark about funding should Mamdani win. New York City received $7.4bn (£5.7bn) in federal funding this fiscal year.

In a wide-ranging interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump said that a Mayor Mamdani would make left-wing former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio look great. He described de Blasio's tenure as unsuccessful and foretold that Mamdani would perform even worse.

Trump, who grew up in the New York borough of Queens, effectively endorsed Cuomo in the interview, stating, 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.

Mamdani, who is positioned to run a world financial hub, describes himself as a democratic socialist, but has dismissed accusations of being a communist by humorously comparing himself to Scandinavian politicians.

As the Democratic primary winner, Mamdani criticized Cuomo as Trump's puppet and parrot. He stated, The answer to a Donald Trump presidency is not to create its mirror image here in City Hall, advocating for an alternative agenda that reflects the values of New Yorkers.

Cuomo has sought to present his experience during crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as proof of his capability to handle challenges posed by the Trump administration.

Trump has consistently targeted Democratic-led jurisdictions by threatening to cut funding and deploying National Guard troops in cities amid rising crime rates, exacerbating tensions with local leadership.