Be very nice to me: Trump warns Mamdani as Indo-Pak 'alliance' in NYC triggers MAGA

Washington: As Zohran Mamdani scripts history as New York City's first Muslim, South Asian mayor, President Donald Trump has not shied away from his displeasure. In an interview with Fox News after Mamdani's victory in NYC, the US President criticised the 34-year-old democratic socialist for his "angry speech."

Speaking to FOX, Trump said he was open to talking with Mamdani but called on him to take a more cooperative tone. “I thought it was a very angry speech, certainly angry towards me. And I think he should be very nice to me."

"You know, I’m the one that sort of has to approve a lot of things coming to him. So he’s off to a bad start," said Trump.

Trump's response comes after Mamdani made a direct mention of Trump in his victory address. “So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up," said Mamdani, as he added on how he would work to make New York City more affordable, end corruption and tax the rich.

Trump's warning to Mamdani also follows his continuous threats to cut federal funds for New York City if the Indian-origin assemblyman was elected. In several Truth Social posts, Trump has criticised Mamdani and openly backed his opponent, Andrew Cuomo.

Despite Mamdani stating he is a socialist, Trump, his allies, Republicans and MAGA supporters continue to label the mayor-elect as a communist. Furthermore, the New York Post's front page after Mamdani won also reflected Trump's "communist" label on Mamdani.

Interestingly, NYC mayor-elect Mamdani picked UK-born Pakistani-American Lina Maliha Khan to co-chair an all-women transition team as he prepares to govern the world’s richest city with socialist zeal, pitted against a hostile US establishment.

Addressing the America Business Forum on Wednesday, Trump said the United States had “lost a little bit of its sovereignty” in the Big Apple but pledged “we will take care of it…don’t worry.” Trump has made it clear that he is going to choke to the maximum extent possible federal finances to his former city that has the world’s largest municipal budget (approximately $ 112 billion, larger than that of Uttar Pradesh or Maharashtra) in 2024. The city depends on state and federal funding for about 25 percent of its budget, with 75 percent coming from local taxes and revenues.

"He should be very nice to me... I'm the one that sort of has to approve a lot of things coming to him. Lina Khan, a progressive lawyer who led the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the Biden administration and struck fear in corporate America with her monopoly-busting crusade before resigning when Trump was elected, is the most conspicuous choice to carry out his affordability agenda that includes pledges like free buses, rent freeze and city-run grocery stores.

Mamdani has said he would pay for those, in part, by raising taxes on the wealthy and businesses. Khan, 36, has progressively gravitated towards the liberal left in recent months, appearing at political events with socialist lawmakers like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “I think what we saw last night was New Yorkers not just electing a new mayor but clearly rejecting politics where outsized corporate power and money too often end up dictating our politics,” she said at Mamdani’s victory rally, lashing out at “corrupt oligarchs” and “robber barons” in what Washington elites see as a warning sign for the Big Apple’s affluent class.

Trump himself suggested that Miami, where he was speaking on Wednesday night, could soon become a "refuge for those fleeing communism in New York,” even as several media outlets reported an uptick in real estate inquiries in Florida from wealthy New Yorkers. The city has the most number of millionaires in the world.