New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani has responded to former President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he could be arrested or deported, calling the remarks a political distraction. “Donald Trump attacks me because he’s desperate to distract from his war against workers. We must fight back — and we will,” Mamdani said in a public statement Wednesday.
The exchange comes days after Mamdani secured the Democratic nomination in a high-profile upset over former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Trump, speaking from a detention facility in Florida, questioned Mamdani’s citizenship and labeled him a “communist” — claims that have not been backed by any evidence.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman and self-identified democratic socialist, has vowed to shield immigrants from mass deportations and reshape the city’s policies around justice and equity. His campaign has become a lightning rod in national politics, drawing both progressive enthusiasm and conservative backlash.
If elected, Mamdani would be the city’s first Muslim mayor and among the youngest ever to hold the office. He is a Ugandan-born immigrant who grew up in South Africa and New York, and is the son of Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair.
