President Donald Trump unloaded on New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani after Mamdani set off a political earthquake in New York City by defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday night.
While the outcome is not yet final—the New York City Board of Elections is expected to release the full results on July 1—Mamdani is so far on track to clinch the party’s nomination.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Mamdani campaign for comment.
Why It Matters
Mamdani bested Cuomo in the Democratic primary on Tuesday and currently holds a 7-point lead over the former New York governor, with 93 percent of votes counted. The Associated Press has not yet called the race, and the final outcome is likely to take a few days due to the city’s ranked-choice voting system.
However, Cuomo conceded defeat less than two hours after polls closed Tuesday, telling his supporters at an election night party: “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night.”
Cuomo went on to say his opponent “inspired [voters] and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign.”
Heather Khalifa/AP
What To Know
Trump attacked Mamdani on Truth Social, pointing to the likely Democratic nominee’s support from progressive lawmakers, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed Mamdani earlier this month. He also referenced Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas.
“It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him. Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!”
The president added: “I have an idea for the Democrats to bring them back into ‘play.’ After years of being left out in the cold, including suffering one of the Greatest Losses in History, the 2024 Presidential Election, the Democrats should nominate Low IQ Candidate, Jasmine Crockett, for President, and AOC+3 should be, respectively, Vice President, and three High Level Members of the Cabinet – Added together with our future Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, and our Country is really SCREWED!”
It’s unclear which three lawmakers Trump was referring to when he said “AOC+3,” but he was likely referring to the “Squad,” which consists of the progressive Democratic lawmakers Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib.
The president’s posts came after Stephen Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff for policy, blasted Mamdani over his triumph, writing on X: “NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration.”
Mamdani, 33, was born in Uganda to Indian parents and has lived in New York City since the age of 7. He became a U.S. citizen in 2018.
Miller is arguably the most hard-line anti-immigrant voice in the White House and vehemently backs the administration’s crackdown on undocumented people, which has at times swept up U.S. citizens and others who are legally permitted to be in the country.
A number of other pro-Trump lawmakers and influencers piled onto Mamdani after it became clear he’d beaten Cuomo, with some lobbing racist and Islamophobic attacks against the 33-year-old mayoral hopeful.
“Zohran Mamdani hasn’t even been a U.S. citizen for 10 years,” far-right pro-Trump activist Laura Loomer wrote on X. “He is literally supported by terrorists. NYC is about to see 9/11 2.0.”
Tuesday’s mayoral primary, meanwhile, was in many ways a referendum on the direction of the Democratic Party, which has struggled to establish a concrete platform after then-Vice President Kamala Harris lost to Trump in the 2024 election.
Cuomo, 67, represented the old guard, as reflected in his endorsements from prominent establishment figures, like former President Bill Clinton and South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn.
Mamdani, on the other hand, galvanized younger, more progressive voters hungry for radical change by running on a platform of freezing rents in the city, making housing more affordable, eliminating bus fares, and raising taxes on the wealthy.
The two men’s campaign strategies also could not have been more different. Cuomo stayed out of the spotlight since launching his campaign in March, making few public appearances, skipping several candidate forums and coasting largely on name recognition.
His opponents frequently used his absence from key events against him, accusing the former governor of taking votes for granted.
Mamdani, by contrast, criss-crossed the city to meet and interact with voters, including a 13-mile trek through Manhattan the weekend before the primary election.
What People Are Saying
Zohran Mamdani told supporters at his election night party on Tuesday: “I will be the mayor for every New Yorker, whether you voted for me, for Governor Cuomo or felt too disillusioned by a long-broken political system to vote at all. I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you, I will work to be a mayor you will be proud to call your own.”
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on X: “Congratulations, @ZohranKMamdani! Your dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city. Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won.”
Elle Bisgaard-Church, Mamdani’s campaign manager, told The New York Times: “We’re incredibly grateful for the voters across all five boroughs who, inspired by our vision for a better, affordable future, showed up in record numbers to make their voices heard.”
What Happens Next
The primary election will now proceed to ranked choice voting, as no candidate secured more than 50 percent of the first-choice votes on Tuesday night. The New York City Board of Elections is expected to put out the final results on July 1.
Update 6/25/25, 5:42 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
