Mamdani tells ‘The View’ that withholding federal funds to NYC is one of Trump’s ‘many threats’

(NEW YORK) — Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City and a state assemblyman, said on ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday — just days after incumbent Mayor Eric Adams left the race — he was not concerned over recent threats by President Donald Trump to withhold federal funding from New York City if he gets elected.

Trump wrote on Monday on his social media platform, “Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him?”

Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has emphasized — including on “The View” on Wednesday — that he does not identify as a communist.

“This is just one of the many threats that Donald Trump makes. Every day he wakes up, he makes another threat, a lot of the times about the city that he actually comes from,” Mamdani said.

“And what is angering to me is not what Donald Trump does, because we’ve come to expect that from him, but it’s the idea that we have to accept that as the law, the idea that we have to accept that as normal. We have to fight that because we know, not only is it an overreach from a federal administration, it’s an example of what he’s done elsewhere,” he added.

Asked about Trump’s more recent desire to use U.S. cities for military training and how he could stop him, Mamdani responded, “[Trump] wants to do a whole lot of things with this city, and we’re going to fight him every step of the way, as long as it is something that comes at the expense of this city.”

Separately, on why Democratic leaders who have have not yet endorsed him, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Mamdani downplayed the importance of endorsements more broadly.

He praised endorsements from figures such as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, but added, “but also the fact that I wouldn’t be sitting here with you if it was endorsements that made all the difference. It was the people of the city.”

Mamdani has faced pushback over some of his comments and stances on the Israel-Hamas war and Israel more broadly, including framing Israel’s conduct in the war as a “genocide” and declining to support Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, although he has said he supports Israel’s right to exist as a state. The Israeli government has pushed back against claims it is committing genocide.

Asked by co-host Sara Haines why should voters who see that as a moral red line should trust his clarity and judgment, Mamdani said that New York City would be the main focus of his administration.

“And also, millions of New Yorkers, myself included, care deeply about what’s happening in Israel and Palestine,” he added.

“And so, to be very, very clear, of course, I condemn Hamas. Of course I’ve called October 7 [the attack on Israel by Hamas] what it was, which is a horrific war crime. And of course, my belief in a universality in international law is also the same set of beliefs that have led me to describe what’s happening in Gaza as a genocide.”

He added soon after, “I can’t stop that as the mayor of the city. I can make clear my own values, my own commitments, and it is a value and a commitment to humanity, to safety, to justice for all people, that extends to everyone, Israelis, Palestinians, and everyone else.”