Trump says lost ‘sovereignty’ in New York after Mamdani win
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Speaking in Miami a day after Mr Mamdani’s convincing victory, Mr Trump said the Florida city “will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York”.
PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES
Follow topic:
MIAMI - President Donald Trump on Nov 5 said the United States had lost “sovereignty” after New Yorkers elected leftist Zohran Mamdani as their next mayor.
“We’ll take care of it,” Mr Trump said without explaining what he meant, while claiming the country’s largest city would become communist.
In a speech in Miami a day after Mr Mamdani’s convincing victory, Mr Trump added that the Florida city “will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York”.
“The decision facing all Americans could not be more clear: We have a choice between communism and common sense,” he said, also casting the choice as between an “economic nightmare” and an “economic miracle”.
The speech marked the first anniversary of Mr Trump’s election victory against Democrat Kamala Harris.
“We rescued our economy, regained our liberty, and together we saved our country on that magnificent night 365 days ago,” Mr Trump told his audience of supporters.
Mr Mamdani’s mayoral race win came despite fierce attacks on his policies and Muslim heritage from business elites, conservative media commentators and Mr Trump himself.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mr Mamdani said in a victory speech late on Nov 4.
Mr Mamdani’s win, as well as the Democratic Party’s other victories in the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, suggested a shift in political mood as the country looks towards the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be up for grabs.
In another significant win for Democrats, voters in California approved a proposition to redraw electoral districts in a bid to neutralise gerrymandering efforts ordered by Mr Trump in other states.
Mr Trump refused to take any blame for the Nov 4 results.
In a post on his Truth Social network, he cited anonymous “pollsters” suggesting the Republican defeats were due to the government shutdown and the fact that his own name wasn’t on the ballots. AFP
