WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has said that Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is likely to become the mayor of New York City unless two of the three other candidates running against him fall out of the race.
“I don’t think you can win unless you have one-on-one, and somehow he’s gotten a little bit of a lead. I have no idea how that happened,” Trump remarked during a White House dinner with tech executives. He did not specify which candidates he believed should step aside.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, has led the race since his decisive victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June. Cuomo remains on the ballot as an independent, joined by incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels.
Trump has repeatedly targeted Mamdani, at one point suggesting he should be “arrested” for being an “illegal migrant.” Born in Uganda to Indian parents, Mamdani became a US citizen in 2018.
In July, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump was considering an investigation following Republican Congressman Andy Ogles’ call to revoke Mamdani’s citizenship. Ogles alleged that Mamdani may have concealed support for “terrorism” during his naturalisation process.
Responding on social media, Mamdani wrote: “The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I refuse to let ICE terrorize our city.” — With inputs from agencies
