Trump doubts Zohran Mamdani's citizenships, threatens arrest

In a response to what he called US President Donald Trump's threat to have him arrested, stripped of citizenship, put in detention camp and deported, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said the remarks not only present an attack on country's democracy but are an attempt to "send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hid in the shadows".

Donald Trump questioned the citizenship status of Zohran Mamdani — the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City — at a Tuesday afternoon press conference in South Florida, falsely implying that he could be in the country illegally.

"A lot of people are saying he's here illegally… We're going to look at everything. And ideally, he's going to turn out to be much less than a communist, but right now, he's a communist," Trump said.

Trump also said his administration would arrest Zohran Mamdani if he pursued campaign promises to go against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Mamdani responds

Zohran Mamdani shared a post on X, captioned, " My statement on Donald Trump's threat to deport me and his praise for Eric Adams, who the President helped out of legal accountability."

"The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city," the statement read.

Zohran Mamdani said Donald Trump's statements "don't just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you."

We will not accept this intimidation, he added.

"That Trump included praise for Eric Adams in his authoritarian threats is unsurprising, but highlights the urgency of bringing an end to this Mayor's time in City Hall. At the very moment when MAGA Republicans are attempting to destroy the social safety net, kick millions of New Yorkers off of healthcare and enrich their billionaire donors at the expense of working families, it is a scandal that Eric Adams echoes this President's division, distraction and hate," Zohran Mamdani's statement read.

Mamdani said voters will "resoundingly reject" it in November, when voting for the mayoral election takes place.

Zohran Mamdani is now officially the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, according to official results released Tuesday.

The 33-year-old self-declared democratic socialist defeated his nearest rival by a strong margin, winning 56 per cent to former governor Andrew Cuomo's 44 percent, in the third round of vote counting.

Polling showed him ahead of current Mayor Eric Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa for the November vote.

Eric Adams was elected in 2021 as a Democrat but is running as an independent. Mamdani and others have accused the mayor of allowing the Trump administration to conduct immigration raids in exchange for burying federal corruption charges against Adams.