The White Home doubled down Monday on President Trump’s rivalry that Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani is a communist who can be troublesome to work with if elected New York mayor.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned Mr. Trump tries to work with everybody, however Mr. Mamdani can be a troublesome associate in governing.
“The president is all the time keen to work with everybody,” she mentioned. “He desires to do what’s proper for America, however certainly, somebody who holds these values and is kind of actually a communist and condemns each worth that makes this nation nice, frequent sense, regulation and order, low taxes, working arduous and incomes your preserve on this nation, he’s towards all of that.”
She added, “I feel the president would discover it troublesome to work with somebody like that. If he’s elected, I’m positive you’ll hear extra from the president on that.”
Mr. Mamdani, 33, a self-described democratic socialist, not too long ago gained the New York Metropolis Democratic mayoral main.
He has dismissed Mr. Trump’s labelling him a communist.
“I’ve already needed to begin to get used to the truth that the president will speak about how I look, how I sound, the place I’m from, who I’m,” Mr. Mamdani mentioned on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
He mentioned the president desires to distract folks from “what I’m combating for.”
“I’m combating for the very working folks he ran a marketing campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed,” Mr. Mamdani mentioned.
Rep. Andy Ogles, Tennessee Republican, despatched a letter final week to Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi asking her to look into whether or not Mr. Mamdani must be deported due to “willful misrepresentation or concealment of fabric help for terrorism.”
“Zohran ‘little muhammad’ Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the nice Metropolis of New York. He must be DEPORTED. Which is why I’m calling for him to be topic to denaturalization proceedings,” he mentioned within the letter, which he posted on social media.
When requested about Mr. Ogles’ feedback, Ms. Leavitt mentioned Mr. Trump had not known as for Mr. Mamdani to be deported, however he doesn’t need him elected.
Nevertheless, she mentioned, if Mr. Ogles’s claims about Mr. Mamdani are true, “It’s one thing that must be investigated.”
Mr. Mamdani’s win final week within the metropolis’s Democratic main, beating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, additionally despatched shock waves by the Democratic institution.
Mr. Mamdani is operating on a promise of free buses, rent-stabilized housing, a $30 minimal wage, and the launch of city-owned grocery shops.
He additionally desires to lift taxes on New Yorkers who make greater than $1 million a 12 months — a proposal that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has thrown chilly water on.
On “Meet the Press,” Mr. Mamdani mentioned he intends to maintain his marketing campaign guarantees if given the prospect to be the town’s subsequent mayor, whereas additionally vowing to maintain New York as a sanctuary metropolis for unlawful immigrants.
“It’s a coverage that had beforehand been defended by Democrats and Republicans alike, till the fear-mongering of this present mayor,” he mentioned. “It’s a coverage that we’ve seen ensures that New Yorkers can get out of the shadows and into the complete lifetime of the town that they belong to, and it’s one which I might be proud to face up for.”
His marketing campaign presents a means ahead for nationwide Democrats, Mr. Mamdani mentioned.
“In the end, what we’re displaying is that by placing working folks first, by returning to the roots of the Democratic Social gathering, we even have a path out of this second the place we’re going through authoritarianism in Washington, D.C.,” he mentioned.
• Seth McLaughlin contributed to this report.