Why Zohran Mamdani won and what lies ahead for Trump
The midterm elections next year will test how much space there is for Mamdani’s brand of progressive politics within the broader Democratic Party
Highlights
- Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Muslim immigrant and democratic socialist, wins NYC mayoral race over Andrew Cuomo
- In his victory speech, he challenges Trump, vowing to end billionaire tax evasion
- His campaign ran on grassroots funding and support from AOC and Bernie Sanders
- Focused on affordability with rent freezes, free transport and universal childcare
"Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up," said Zohran Mamdani, shortly after being declared as the mayor-elect of New York City, his voice soaring high. The hall, full of his supporters, erupted in cheers and whistles.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblyman, who called himself a democratic socialist, defeated the 67-year-old disgraced governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, in Tuesday's mayoral election of NYC — a city home to global capitalism.
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Besides his apparently unpopular political ideology, he is a Muslim immigrant, a strong voice against Zionism and Israel's genocide in Gaza. Combined with these, he was probably the one with the slimmest chances to grab the chair at City Hall.
Just a year ago, when Mamdani started his campaign, his chances of winning this race was just 1% — and people barely knew his name. However, things took a slow but steady turn in his favour with time. Earlier in June, he won the Democratic primary elections, Cuomo being the closest opponent. However, Cuomo decided to run as an independent, only to concede for the second time.
We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks.
The results of the final election have come as a shock to many — especially both the Democrat and Republican elite establishment — and the media backed by those groups.
Over the last one year, Cuomo secured millions in endorsements from several billionaires — including major media outlets, and an unlikely backing from Donald Trump (which former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio said was a "kiss of death" for Cuomo), while Mamdani got his campaign money from public donations and endorsements from labour organisations and popular politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders.
Trump's hostility towards Mamdani
Since Mamdani came to limelight, Trump has addressed his issue multiple times in a hostile manner — thanks to Mamdani's socialist ideology and strong pro-immigrant position.
After taking the White House for the second term, Trump ran an extensive action against immigrants. He expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) powers and raids, ended birthright citizenship, and started mass deportation of immigrants, which in a city dominated by immigrants, were unwelcomed. Hence Mamdani's position became popular among the voters.
Trump called him a communist several times — almost every time he uttered his name, (which of course, Mamdani declined), and labelled his election agendas as "fake communist promises". He also went as far as threatening to cut federal funds for New York City if "communist Mamdani" becomes the mayor.
Earlier in June, Trump threatened to arrest Mamdani in response to his plan to stop masked ICE agents from deporting immigrants. "Look, we don't need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation," Trump said.
"He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City," Trump wrote in September, on his own platform, TruthSocial, indicating the Democrat candidate.
Just a day before the election, Trump endorsed Cuomo, despite his own Republican party having a candidate in the race, writing, "I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE."
After Mamdani's winning speech, where he addressed Trump directly and said, "We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks."
"...So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us [the city dwellers], you will have to get through all of us."
Trump's final response so far to Mamdani's speech was just a one-liner post on TruthSocial: "…AND SO IT BEGINS!"
By "it", he meant waging a war against Mamdani — a war that many saw coming, and one that the new NYC mayor himself is also preparing for.
Policies that address actual problems
At the core of Zohran Mamdani's victory was his ability to speak to the real, everyday struggles of New Yorkers. While Andrew Cuomo sought to revive his reputation through traditional campaign promises of safety and experience, Mamdani built his agenda around the city's most tangible crisis — affordability.
His proposals for rent freezes on stabilised apartments, expansion of affordable housing, free bus rides, and universal childcare resonated in a city where many residents spend more than half of their income on rent.
Mamdani's campaign did not just identify the problem, it gave people a sense of real possibility. "Life does not have to be this hard," he told voters throughout the year — a phrase that became a rallying cry across the five boroughs.
His refusal to accept large corporate donations and his open confrontation with the real estate lobby only reinforced his image as a candidate willing to take on entrenched interests.
Even critics of his ideology admitted that his priorities reflected the frustrations of many working-class families. At a time when rising rents and stagnant wages have pushed thousands out of the city, Mamdani's promise of a fairer New York carried both urgency and optimism. In the end, affordability — not ideology — became the decisive issue of the election.
Communication that connected
If his policies spoke to real concerns, his way of communicating made people listen. Mamdani's campaign treated outreach not as a strategy but as a form of community building. He and his volunteers knocked on millions of doors, hosted scavenger hunts and football tournaments, and organised gatherings that felt more like neighbourhood festivals than political events.
These efforts transformed political participation into social participation — particularly among younger voters who had often felt alienated from politics.
He also mastered the language of social media without losing authenticity. His short, self-shot videos — often humorous, occasionally reflective — showed him walking through the streets, speaking about rent, childcare, and everyday struggles.
To the voters, each clip felt rooted in the rhythm of the city, showing a mayoral candidate who seemed less like a distant policymaker and more like a neighbour.
This digital presence was paired with a remarkable amount of physical visibility. Mamdani's campaign slogan — that New Yorkers deserve a mayor they can "see, hear, and even yell at" — captured that spirit.
In contrast, Cuomo's closed-door style and reliance on big donors appeared increasingly out of step with the moment. Mamdani's visibility became proof of accessibility; his constant engagement translated into trust.
What lies ahead
The victory, however, comes with expectations — in fact, a lot of it.
Mamdani will now have to face the complex reality of governing one of the world's most demanding cities, under the watch of a hostile White House. President Trump has already hinted at cutting federal funding and intensifying scrutiny over immigration enforcement, creating early tension between Washington and City Hall.
At the same time, Mamdani's own promises — on rent, transport and childcare — require state cooperation. Governor Kathy Hochul has voiced opposition to new income taxes, which complicates Mamdani's plan to finance free childcare and expanded public transport through higher levies on the wealthy.
He will also need to maintain the fragile goodwill he began to build with New York's business community during the campaign — a balancing act between reform and pragmatism.
The midterm elections next year will test how much space there is for Mamdani's brand of progressive politics within the broader Democratic Party. Party leaders in Washington remain cautious, worried that his socialist label could hurt moderates elsewhere.
The broader political climate adds further uncertainty. The same night Mamdani secured his historic win, Democrats also triumphed in Virginia and New Jersey's gubernatorial races and in California's Proposition 50 vote, which allows the state legislature to redraw congressional districts.
These victories reinforced the sense of a Democratic resurgence — one that appears rooted in concerns about cost of living rather than ideological battles.
These results pose a complex challenge for President Trump. In states where Republicans were expected to perform well, voters turned sharply against the administration, with majorities in exit polls expressing disapproval of Trump's leadership.
For the Republican Party, this string of defeats has raised urgent questions about Trump's political weight ahead of next year's midterms, where control of Congress will once again be at stake.
What happens next will depend on how he translates that enthusiasm into tangible results. His agenda is ambitious, the resistance he faces is formidable, and New Yorkers are famously impatient.
But Mamdani's rise has already redefined what kind of leader this city can imagine: a leader that listens to the people he represents, which was reflected in the whole campaign as well as the concluding remarks of his speech, "New York, this power, it's yours. This city belongs to you."
