Trump threatens to ‘run’ New York City if Mamdani becomes mayor

US President Donald Trump has threatened to "run" New York City if its voters choose Zohran Mamdani, an muslim man of Indian descent, and champion of the city's progressive movement, as their next mayor. 

Trump claimed, "We have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to," and warned that if New Yorkers elect what he called a "communist" mayor, he might step in and take control, CNN says.

Trump's target, Zohran Mamdani, is not a communist, he's a democratic socialist aligned with the politics of Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

For Trump, Mamdani is a convenient villain, the perfect figure to depict as proof that the Democratic Party has fallen to "radical leftists." Trump escalated his rhetoric, calling Mamdani "a man who's not very capable, other than he's got a good line of bullsh*t," and even floated the baseless suggestion that Mamdani, a naturalized US citizen, might be in the country illegally, echoing his notorious "birther" lies about President Obama.

Trump's talk of taking over New York City is a direct threat to millions of voters that could upend the American federal system. 

According to legal experts, there's no scenario where the president can simply strip a city of its elected government because he dislikes its policies. "There's no emergency power that allows the president to take over a city," says Elizabeth Goitein, a specialist in presidential powers at the Brennan Center for Justice. 

Trump has floated using the Insurrection Act, an old law allowing federal troops to restore order during unrest, but there's no precedent for using it just because a city elects a mayor the president opposes, CNN says.

NYU Professor Domingo Morel points out that Trump's message to New Yorkers is essentially: "Whatever you say doesn't matter; we'll take away your right to govern yourselves if we don't like how you vote."

While Trump's threats may be more bluster than reality, his record shows he has to be taken seriously. He has tried to end birthright citizenship by executive order, used obscure wartime powers to redirect funds for his border wall, and pressured states and cities to align with his immigration crackdown. 

Mamdani, meanwhile, continues to represent a growing movement demanding bold change in housing, climate action, and economic equality, exactly the issues Trump's base loves to demonize as "socialism." 

Since being elected to the New York State Assembly to the shock of much of the US political elite, Mamdani has become a vocal champion for housing justice, tenants' rights, and expanding social programs. He's known for pushing for stronger rent protections and a wealth tax on billionaires, which has earned him a loyal grassroots following and made him a symbol of the city's leftward shift.