'…AND SO IT BEGINS!': Trump posts after Democratic surge in NYC and California
The post came as Zohran Mamdani delivered his victory speech after being elected mayor of New York City, marking a key Democratic win
President Donald Trump sent out a four-word post on Truth Social late Tuesday, shortly after California voters dealt another Election Day blow to Republicans.
"…AND SO IT BEGINS!" Trump wrote at 11:34 pm Eastern time Tuesday. Less than an hour earlier, Californians approved a redistricting initiative that could help flip five House seats from Republicans to Democrats in next year's midterm elections. "The Associated Press called the race when polls closed statewide, citing evidence of an 'overwhelming victory,'" the news agency reported.
The post came as Zohran Mamdani delivered his victory speech after being elected mayor of New York City, marking a key Democratic win.
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Leading up to the mayoral election, Trump had endorsed independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and warned he might "withhold billions of dollars in federal funding" if Mamdani, described as a democratic socialist, was elected, says NJ.com.
Trump has previously used presidential powers to target political rivals, including Democratic congressional leaders in New York City.
Mamdani, 34, used his victory speech to issue a direct challenge to Trump, signaling a potential political confrontation in the months ahead. Addressing the former president, he said: "Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up!"
He further outlined his approach to opposing what he described as entrenched power structures: "We can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves," Mamdani said, according to News18.
Mamdani also highlighted New York City's symbolic role in resisting Trump's influence: "After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him." He reiterated this sentiment to supporters, stating: "If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him."
Looking toward long-term strategies, Mamdani added: "And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one."
Mamdani has pledged that countering Trump's immigration policies and what he described as "authoritarian tendencies" will be a central focus of his administration.
