Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has challenged President Donald Trump to a debate following further reports that the president has made contact with Mamdani’s biggest rivals in the coming election to work with them and defeat him.
“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,” Mamdani wrote on X.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Thursday evening for comment.
Why It Matters
Mamdani, a New York state assemblyman, made shock waves when he upset former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Even months after his victory, Mamdani has yet to receive an endorsement from either House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats from New York.
Cuomo, after initially announcing he would withdraw from the race, soon announced he would instead run as an independent candidate. Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the primary before voting even started and declared he would run as an independent, setting up a contentious election.
Reports then surfaced last month that Trump had communicated with Cuomo to offer advice on defeating Mamdani. Cuomo denied hearing from Trump, saying on Thursday that his staff has not been in touch with the president, according to NBC 4 New York.
What To Know
Trump reportedly doubled down on his plan to defeat Mamdani by reaching out to Adams and offering him a job if he were to withdraw from the race, theoretically making it easier for voters to consolidate behind a single candidate and defeat Mamdani, a democratic socialist, in the general election.
The New York Times spoke with three people, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, who all said that the administration had reached out to associates of Adams and asked if he would be open to taking a role in Washington were he to drop out of the race.
An Adams campaign spokesperson told the Associated Press that this was not true and that the mayor was not dropping out of the race, adding, “Don’t believe the noise.”
Adams remains a polarizing figure in New York City, with Republicans criticizing him for not doing enough to assist immigration authorities in their sweeps and crackdown on illegal immigration, while Democrats have accused him of not doing enough to ensure protection of undocumented individuals from those authorities.
Adams agreed to work with U.S. border czar Tom Homan to apprehend undocumented immigrants, on the condition that those who did not commit crimes would not be targeted. Many still accused Adams of doing so in a quid pro quo agreement with the Trump administration, alleging the mayor’s goal was to dismiss his corruption case. Adams has maintained that there was no wrongdoing on his part.
The Justice Department requested the case dropped earlier this year, citing the need for Adams to work with the administration to achieve the president’s immigration goals.
The Times also reported that Trump had made a similar offer to the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, with the goal of creating a two-candidate race between Mamdani and Cuomo.
Mamdani seized on the report to issue his challenge to Trump, who has remained a presence throughout the race. The assemblyman has repeatedly spoken on the matter since the first reports surfaced last month, on Wednesday writing on X: “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.”
What People Are Saying
Trump, on Truth Social in June: “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. 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!”
Mamdani, on X: “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.”
Cuomo, on X: “New Yorkers deserve answers. Who is the real [Zohran Mamdani]? Why is he avoiding debates? I challenge the Assemblyman to five debates, one in every borough. Show up. Tell New Yorkers who you are and what you really believe, once and for all.”
The post Donald Trump Receives New Challenge From Zohran Mamdani appeared first on Newsweek.
