Trump has fired off his first two social media posts about Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City. Until Wednesday afternoon, the president had been mum on Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary handily Tuesday evening against front-runner and former Mayor Andrew Cuomo.
On the campaign trail, the 33-year-old progressive proudly styled himself as “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare, as a progressive, Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in.” During his victory speech, Mamdani vowed, if elected, to use his power to “reject Donald Trump’s fascism, to stop ICE agents from deporting our neighbors, and to govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party.”
Though the president has in the past been known to concoct catchy epithets and lines of attack against his opponents, Trump’s reaction to Mamdani fell flat—amounting to stale red-baiting and an absurd attempt to argue that Mamdani is not the sharp, telegenic candidate that even many of his ideological foes have recognized him to be.
“It’s finally happened,” Trump posted on Truth Social Wednesday afternoon, “the Democrats have crossed the line.”
Calling the democratic socialist candidate “a 100% Communist Lunatic,” Trump wrote, “We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous,” before fixating on Mamdani’s style, writing, quite unconvincingly, “He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart.” (One odd part about this line of attack is that Mamdani, like Trump, is rarely pictured not wearing a suit.)
Trump also tried to lump Mamdani in with some of MAGA’s bêtes noires—noting that he is endorsed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive lawmakers. Trump added that Senator Chuck Schumer is “groveling over him.” (On Wednesday, Schumer congratulated but stopped short of officially endorsing Mamdani.)
Moments later, Trump shared a follow-up post, in which he daydreamed about a future Democratic presidential ticket headed by progressive Representatives Jasmine Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez. And Mamdani was there too—“Added together with our future Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, and our Country is really SCREWED!” Trump wrote.
Prior to Trump’s social media posts, the most notable reaction to Mamdani’s victory from the White House had been that of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who accounted for Mamdami’s victory and vast popularity by invoking the white nationalist “great replacement theory.”
The post Trump Tries, Fails to Attack Zohran Mamdani appeared first on New Republic.
