Donald Trump has warned voters ahead of the New York mayoral election that New Yorkers will “pay” a price if Zohran Mamdani wins the election. However, Mamdani, who was branded a “communist” by POTUS, made history by defeating Andrew Cuomo, who was supported by both Trump and Elon Musk.
Can Trump’s ‘threat’ now turn into reality? After Mamdani’s victory, Trump posted a one-line message on Truth Social: “…AND SO IT BEGINS!”
What was Trump’s “threat”?
Donald Trump has warned that if Mamdani is elected mayor of New York, it is highly unlikely that he will contribute federal funds, “other than the minimum amounts required.”
“If Communist candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the election for mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will contribute federal funds, other than the minimum amount required, to my beloved first home,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “As president, I don’t want to send good money after bad.”
Can Donald Trump cut funding for NYC?
The President of the United States does not directly determine the amount of money a city receives from the federal government—that power rests with Congress, which is responsible for approving spending. How those funds are used or held — a practice known as “seizures” — which is illegal under federal law, is governed by the Seizure Control Act of 1974.
The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is the principal legal mechanism for the President to seek to delay or permanently eliminate federal funding once enacted by Congress.
What happened so far?
According to a report by The Guardian, the Trump administration began acting on its threats even before the election results were announced.
Earlier this year, the White House clashed with New York state over its plan to impose congestion pricing on cars — a dispute Trump revisited Monday night in a Truth Social post.
Amid the ongoing government shutdown, the White House also withheld $18 billion in funding for the tunnel project. In another case, a federal judge ordered the government to restore roughly $34 million in counterterrorism funding to New York City, calling the cuts “arbitrary, arbitrary and a blatant violation of the law.”
What did Zohran Mamdani say about NYC funds?
On Monday, Mamdani publicly responded to Trump’s remarks at a campaign event in Astoria — noting that he “will address this threat for what it is — it’s a threat. It’s not a law.”
“And too often we treat everything that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth as if it’s already legal, just based on who’s saying it.”
He later added, “This funding is not something Donald Trump is giving us here in New York. It’s something we actually owe in New York.”
More about Zohran Mamdani, his wife and family
Born in 1991 in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and scholar Mahmood Mamdani. He is married to Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist from Brooklyn who met the New York mayor-elect on Hinge.
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