Trump warns of NYC fund cuts if Zohran Mamdani doesn’t ‘behave’: ‘He’s going to have to do the right thing’

United States President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a warning to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, asking him to “behave” himself.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that whoever becomes the mayor of New York will “have to behave themselves,” warning that the federal government would be “coming down very tough on them financially” if they didn’t.

Donald Trump went on to describe Mamdani as a “pure communist,” adding that his election would be “very bad” for New York.

Calling Mamdani’s potential victory “inconceivable,” the US President added, “if he does win, he’s going to have to do the right thing.”

“Let’s say this, if he does get in, I’m going to be President and he’s going to have to do the right thing or they’re not getting any money,” Trump said.

‘I’m fighting for the very people he ran a campaign to empower’: Mamdani denies Trump’s ‘communist’ claim

While denying Trump‘s remarks claiming that he was a “pure communist”, Mamdani said that he was fighting for the “very working people” that Trump had wanted to empower.

“I’m fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed,” Mamdani said. In an interview with NBC, Mamdani defended his aim to raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and corporations. The Democrat has said that these would be used for provisions like free buses, a rent freeze and a minimum hourly wage of $30.

Mamdani said that he wanted to shift the tax burden from “overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs” to wealthier homes in “whiter neighborhoods”. “I don’t think that we should have billionaires,” he said, while reiterating the need for equality across the US.

However, Mamdani has witnessed hesitance from his own party, with moderate Democrats expressing concern on his victory over former governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary for the Democratic nomination.