NYC Mayor-Elect Mamdani Faces Trump Threats as NYT Cites Limits on Retaliation

Overview

• Zohran Mamdani won the Nov. 5 mayoral race and will be sworn in on Jan. 1, becoming New York City's first Muslim mayor and the youngest of the millennium.
• President Donald Trump has publicly labeled Mamdani a communist and threatened to reduce federal aid to the city.
• The New York Times reported that Trump has privately praised Mamdani as a talented, shrewd politician and strong speaker.
• An NYT editorial argued that Trump's substantial New York real-estate holdings could constrain a broad punitive campaign against the city or its mayor-elect.
• Mamdani says he will hire about 200 additional attorneys for the city's law department to contest potential federal actions, while advancing policies such as cheaper groceries, partial rent freezes and free bus service.