After Mamdani’s remark telling Trump to “turn the volume up,” the President criticised his victory speech as “very angry” and hinted at withholding federal funds, saying the mayor-elect was “off to a bad start.”
Trump accused Mamdani’s victory of signalling “communism in New York” but later softened his tone, saying, “We will help him… We want New York to be successful.”
After Zohran Mamdani addressed US President Donald Trump in his NYC-mayoral victory speech on Wednesday, asking him to “turn the volume up”, the President said that the Indian-American’s speech was “very angry" and warned that he is “off to a bad start".
“I thought it was a very angry speech. Certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be nice to me. I’m sort of the one that has to approve a lot of things coming to him, so he’s off to a bad start," Trump said in response.
Mamdani’s victory is historical. Born to immigrant parents, he has become the youngest mayor-elect, first South-Asian and first Muslim to be the mayor of NYC.
He addressed thousands of supporters in Brooklyn following the announcement of his win.
Throughout his under-30-minute speech, Mamdani framed his win as the start of a “new age” for the city. He repeatedly emphasised hope, echoing the energy seen in Barack Obama’s campaigns, "Today we have spoken in a clear voice: hope is alive."
He positioned the election as a signal to the political establishment, asserting that New Yorkers had toppled longstanding political figures, including Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. "In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light," he said.
To Trump, he said in a resolute voice, “So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up."
He added: “New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant."
The two leaders have previously engaged in a war of words as well, with the President endorsing Mamdani’s opponent, Cuomo, on the eve of elections.
Reacting to Mamdani’s speech, Trump also said that Florida city “will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York". “
“The decision facing all Americans could not be more clear: We have a choice between communism and common sense," he said, also casting the choice as between an “economic nightmare" and an “economic miracle."
Trump alleged that the country had lost “sovereignty" after voters in New York chose Mamdani as their next mayor.
“We’ll take care of it," Trump said, although it is unclear what he intended by the statement.
Trump had threatened earlier that if Mamdani secures a victory, NYC might face reduced federal funding. He wrote on Truth Social: “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home."
However, in a shift from his previous statements, Trump was softer in his approach towards the city at a Miami economic conference: “We will help him. We want New York to be successful. We’ll help him, a little bit maybe."
(with inputs from News18)
