Mamdani to Trump: ‘I Have Four Words For You: Turn The Volume Up!’/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani vowed to confront President Donald Trump after his threats to defund or deport him failed to sway voters. In his victory speech, Mamdani declared New York “a city led by an immigrant” and ready to resist. The showdown sets up a fierce clash between the progressive mayor and Trump’s administration.
Quick Look
- Zohran Mamdani elected as New York City’s next mayor
- First Muslim and South Asian to lead the city
- Directly challenges President Trump in victory speech
- “To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” Mamdani said
- Trump threatened to cut off federal funding to NYC
- Critics say Mamdani’s progressive agenda will clash with Trump’s White House
- Supporters frame his win as a rejection of fear-based politics
- City prepares for political and financial pushback from Washington
- Mamdani promises inclusive governance and immigrant rights protection
- Victory seen as a turning point for progressive leadership in U.S. cities
Zohran Mamdani Pushes Back Against Trump in Fiery Victory Speech After NYC Mayoral Win
Deep Look
NEW YORK — In a direct and defiant message to President Donald Trump, Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s mayor-elect, used his victory night speech to position himself as a fierce opponent of the Republican president’s threats and policies, declaring that the city was ready to resist any attempts at retaliation.
“The future is in our hands, my friends, we have toppled a political dynasty,” New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said to a roaring crowd in Brooklyn.
“New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants — and as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” Mamdani said.
Speaking to his supporters on Tuesday night, Mamdani said, “New York tonight, you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford and the mandate for a government that delivers exactly that.”
“Hope is alive,” Mamdani continued.
“Hope over tyranny; hope over big money and small ideas; hope over despair. We won because New Yorkers allowed themselves to hope that the impossible could be made possible,” he added.
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist and newly elected mayor, addressed Trump head-on during his victory speech in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, responding to months of attacks from the president, including threats to defund the city and even deport him if elected.
“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” Mamdani said from the stage.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him.”
“Here we believe in standing up for those we love, whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many Black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job, a single mom still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with their back against the wall,” Mamdani, who will be the city’s first Muslim mayor, said. “No more will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election.”
Born in Uganda and naturalized as a U.S. citizen after college, Mamdani has become the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of New York. His personal story and progressive platform were central to his campaign — and now his message of resistance.
“New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” he continued.
“So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”
Trump, who had routinely used his platform to attack Mamdani and forecast disaster should he win, reacted on social media as Mamdani gave his speech, posting: “…AND SO IT BEGINS!”
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani told supporters. “And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one.”
Trump’s Targeted Campaign Against Mamdani
Mamdani’s win comes despite months of pressure and rhetoric from President Trump, who has threatened to cut off federal funding to New York City and floated the idea of a federal takeover if Mamdani became mayor. These threats were echoed in the final stretch of the campaign by Mamdani’s opponents, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“It will be Mayor Trump if Mamdani wins,” Cuomo warned in their final debate, suggesting that Mamdani’s perceived inexperience would leave the city vulnerable to Trump’s aggressive tactics.
The White House had previously signaled a willingness to leverage federal authority against local leadership. The Trump administration had reportedly approached outgoing Mayor Eric Adams through intermediaries in an effort to persuade him to run for reelection and block Mamdani’s rise. Adams, who had forged an unusual alliance with Trump, declined to run.
Despite Mamdani’s relatively short time in state politics, Republicans have aggressively painted him as symbolic of a Democratic Party moving too far to the left.
“The Democrat Party has surrendered to radical socialist Zohran Mamdani and the far-left mob who are now running the show,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella.
“They’ve proudly embraced defunding the police, abolishing ICE, taxing hard-working Americans to death, and replacing common sense with chaos. Every House Democrat is foolishly complicit in their party’s collapse, and voters will make them pay in 2026.”
A Familiar Playbook with a New Face
Mamdani’s meteoric rise has drawn comparisons to Trump’s own path to power. Like Trump in 2016, Mamdani ran as a political outsider, relied on social media to energize supporters, and presented himself as a populist promising major systemic change. But their visions could not be more different.
While Trump promoted nationalist and hardline policies, Mamdani ran on progressive reforms including free childcare, public transit improvements, and a reimagined public safety approach. His campaign was rooted in a message of inclusion and economic justice.
Yet, rather than see Mamdani as a political mirror, Trump has identified him as a prime adversary. He used his platform to call Mamdani a “communist” and warned that a Mamdani administration would ruin the city.
The president also attempted to cancel major federal infrastructure projects in New York and used the government shutdown to block funding for key programs, including aid tied to the city’s growing migrant population.
In the days leading up to the election, Trump wrote that if Mamdani won, “it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required.” The White House declined to provide details on what specific funding might be withheld.
Mamdani’s campaign, however, did not shy away from these threats. Instead, he embraced the challenge and turned it into a rallying cry for his base.
City Reactions and Political Forecast
Some New Yorkers welcomed Mamdani’s combative stance toward the president, while others expressed concern about the city’s ability to withstand Trump’s retaliation.
Amy Snyder, an art adviser who voted for Cuomo, said, “I’m just not sure Mamdani will be able to stand up to Trump.”
Ariel Kohane, a Republican voter and longtime Trump supporter, said he hoped Trump would use every tool possible to block Mamdani’s plans.
“Trump will probably have to send in the National Guard and ICE agents, too,” he said.
Yet for many supporters, Trump’s threats only strengthened their resolve to back Mamdani.
Wacef Chowdhury, a finance worker and volunteer for Mamdani’s campaign, said, “We know he’s going to try, but we’re ready. We fought back the establishment, and we’re going to do the same to the president.”
The Road Ahead
Mamdani now faces the immediate challenge of building out his administration and preparing to govern the largest city in the country under the watchful eye — and pressure — of the federal government.
With Trump still commanding influence over national Republican politics and wielding the powers of the presidency, the next chapter of Mamdani’s political career is likely to be shaped by ongoing confrontation.
His progressive agenda — including ambitious proposals like city-run grocery stores and new community safety initiatives — may be difficult to implement if Trump escalates his threats or cuts off support.
Still, Mamdani has signaled he won’t back down.
“To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” he repeated, calling on New Yorkers to stand united.
“The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a Democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of this,” Mamdani said in his speech.
His victory marks not only a turning point in the city’s political identity but potentially a national shift in the battle over urban governance, immigration, and the future of progressive leadership in America.
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