As you read this report, the polls are now open in New York City and voters are deciding who will be their next mayor.
Donald Trump threw his support behind Andrew Cuomo in this race, hoping to pull voters away from Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to give the former governor a fighting chance in this very difficult three-way race.
Trump also noted that if radical leftist Zohran Mamdani wins, federal money could be withheld from the city as well as the state of New York.
Any moderate voters who were still on the bubble got a very direct message from Mamdani in the waning hours before the election.
After Mayor Eric Adams announced that he would fight for the NYPD to be able to work with ICE on illegal immigration, Mamdani declared that New York City would be a sanctuary haven if he wins.
Mamdani stated, “I will not be the mayor that we have today who went on national television and opened the door to civil immigration enforcement. I will be the mayor that stands up for our sanctuary city policies, that stands up for every New Yorker’s right to live in this city, and the mayor who will hold everyone accountable to the law, no matter who they are.”
He later added, “The Trump administration is waging war on the First Amendment and our constitutional rights as it continues to abduct New Yorkers from across our city. Any effort to cooperate with these efforts is a moral stain on our city. We should strengthen our sanctuary city laws.”
That is the exact type of statement that has led to Trump backing a Democrat, Cuomo, over the GOP's own nominee in the race, Sliwa, who trails Mamdani in the race by more than 20 points.
Cuomo is also trailing, but he has tightened things up significantly in recent days, although I still doubt it will be enough to make up the difference.
Trump also baited New Yorkers by threatening to withhold federal money if Mamdani wins, stating, "It's gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York. Because if you have a communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there.”
Legally, Trump can temporarily freeze funding, but that power will eventually run out when it comes to monies that were already congressionally approved. You cannot halt funding simply because you don’t like who was elected to run a particular city.
Trump is right in his broader stance, however, because Mamdani wants to give everything away in the city by having city-owned grocery stores and free public transportation for all, just to name a few of his policies. Federal money will only prolong the persistence of the false idea that a socialist utopia is possible in America. Rest assured, it is not.
After Trump made his statement about funding, Mamdani vowed to fight back against the bad orange man. He stated, “What we have seen in cities and states across the country is the necessity of, not just using the bully pulpit but also the courts, to ensure that every dollar that a municipality is owed is a dollar that is paid.”
He continued, “And I will take every single day, after this election, to put together my city government, my city hall, to ensure that it is prepared not only for the threats from Donald Trump, but also the threats from an affordability crisis that has put one in four New Yorkers in poverty.”
Trump doubled down, responding, “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!”
The danger for Trump in promising to withhold public funding is that if and when Mamdani and the state of New York sue the administration, they will win. And when they do, it will only feed their narrative about Trump's willingness to abuse his power. Sadly, Trump has to let that money go, and he can only sit back and watch as Mamdani destroys a city that is already in a state of decline.
