New York City Democratic socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani threw down the gauntlet this week, daring President Donald Trump to face him in a live debate.
In a fiery post on his X account, the 33-year-old state assemblyman wrote, “Enough with the backroom scheming. If Donald Trump is serious about intervening in the mayoral race, he should come to New York City and debate me directly.”
The challenge came in response to a New York Times report alleging the Trump administration pressured both Mayor Eric Adams and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa to step aside in exchange for federal appointments.
The move, according to the report, was designed to set up a direct showdown between Mamdani and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.
When Trump, Cuomo and Adams scheme behind closed doors, they're not worried about your future or the city you're struggling to afford.
It's only about their own power. pic.twitter.com/Y9Y1qpQ3pn
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) September 3, 2025
Trump weighed in Thursday night, warning that Mamdani could secure victory if the field wasn’t narrowed.
“I don’t think you can win unless you have one on one, because somehow he’s gotten a little bit of a lead. I think that’s a race that could be won,” Trump told reporters before a White House dinner.
The president quickly added, “I’d prefer not to have a communist mayor of New York City. And, you know, that’s what he is based on his policy. If you look at his statements in the past.”
The president has repeatedly branded Mamdani a communist, while the candidate has embraced the label of being “Trump’s worst nightmare.”
Earlier this year, tensions escalated when Trump threatened Mamdani with arrest or even deportation for refusing to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement directives.
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Mamdani, who immigrated from Uganda at the age of seven and became a U.S. citizen in 2018, brushed off the threats and doubled down on his agenda.
Despite concerns from business leaders, Mamdani vowed to pursue his progressive platform even if elected by a slim margin.
Appearing on CNN Friday night, host Abby Phillip pressed him on whether he would moderate his policies if he won without majority support in a potential three-way race. Mamdani dismissed the suggestion.
“If you win an election, you have to govern to fulfill the promises of that. Otherwise, what is the point of our politics,” he said.
We've seen what collaboration with Trump has brought us: money stolen from city accounts, cuts to essential services, New Yorkers as young as six deported. Cuomo offers more of the same.
I am prepared to fight back. pic.twitter.com/7uwvOS0DKI
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) September 4, 2025
He cited Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s notion that political capital should be spent delivering results.
Mamdani added that he was confident in mobilizing more young voters, pointing to the record turnout among younger New Yorkers in June.
His platform includes a 2% tax hike on millionaires, a 4.5% increase on corporations, and even the creation of city-run grocery stores.
When pressed on the failures of similar ventures, Mamdani defended the plan, saying, “We have to prove not only the efficacy, but the excellence of this idea, because, for every one example that you can point to, there is another of another municipality today considering opening a city-run grocery store.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams pushed back against rumors he was leaving the race.
“I want to be clear with you,” Adams said Friday. “Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar. I am in this race, and I’m the only one that can beat Mamdani.”
Running as an independent, Adams stressed that reports of him meeting with the Trump administration were false.
"I want to be clear with you. Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar. I am in this race and I'm the only one that can beat Mamdani."
NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced that he will continue his bid for reelection in November during a press conference on Friday. https://t.co/flVl9nPFPK pic.twitter.com/ueLzFtnzvm
— ABC News (@ABC) September 5, 2025
“There’s a lot of reports that I’m in Washington on Monday. Those reports are wrong,” he stated.
“I’m not. I’ll be moving throughout this city, the five boroughs that made me mayor in the first place.”
Adams also took a shot at Cuomo, accusing the ex-governor of a long history of undermining Black candidates.
“This city can’t go backwards, New Yorkers,” Adams said. “This is a city that I inherited, where crime was out of control, COVID, no one wanted to be on our subway system. We watched what happened in housing.”
“The reason people are having these conversations is because I make the city safe, I committed myself and dedicated myself to a city that I love, and I’m going to continue to do that,” he defended.
Cuomo, who has been suggested as the establishment’s pick to counter Mamdani, made clear he does not want Trump’s help.
“I don’t want him involved in anything to do with my race,” Cuomo said. Still, he left the decision for Adams or Sliwa to continue their campaigns up to them.
“Whether Adams or Sliwa choose to continue in the race is up to them,” Cuomo remarked.
