US President Donald Trump offered his first reaction after Zohran Mamdani’s landmark victory in the New York City mayoral race, attributing the Republican Party’s poor performance to his absence from the ballot and the impact of government shutdowns. Mamdani, 34, became the city’s youngest and first Muslim mayor, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Trump suggested that these factors played a decisive role in the outcome, as the Democratic socialist surged past historic voter turnout levels in a citywide contest that drew more than 2 million voters.
President Trump in a post on Truth Social said, ““TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,” according to pollsters”.
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa to become New York City’s youngest and first Muslim mayor. Mamdani, 34, will replace Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped his reelection bid in September but remained on the ballot.A state assembly member from Queens, Mamdani had entered the race a year ago with limited experience and little citywide recognition. Voter turnout surged past 2 million, marking the highest participation in a New York mayoral election since 1969.The campaign became a proxy battle between Trump and Mamdani. Trump repeatedly called Mamdani a “Communist lunatic” and a “disaster waiting to happen,” while Mamdani told The Good Liars that he would “work with the president for the sake of New Yorkers” but “not be cowed.” “If you want to make life more difficult for New Yorkers,” he said, “then I’ll be there to fight you.”
Trump urged voters to support Cuomo to block Mamdani’s victory. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job,” he wrote. Trump also warned that federal funding to New York could be at risk if Mamdani won. In another post, he said: “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, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!”New York City, which spans Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, is home to over 8 million people and serves as a global hub for finance, technology, and the arts. The mayor oversees a $116 billion annual budget, managing key services including policing and education, and the office often serves as a platform for national political ambitions. The city also hosts over 2,000 AI startups and a workforce of 40,000 in the artificial intelligence sector, underscoring its economic and technological influence worldwide.
