Washington [US], November 6 : US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed America "lost a little bit of its sovereignty" following Democrat socialist Zohran Mamdani's historic victory in the New York City mayoral election. He warned that under Mamdani, whom he calls a "communist," New York could turn into communist Cuba or socialist Venezuela, prompting residents to flee to Florida.
Addressing the America Business Forum in Miami, Trump said, "On November 5, 2024, the American people claimed our government. We restored our sovereignty. We lost a little bit of sovereignty last night in New York, but we'll take care of it."
Mamdani, 34, secured the mayoralty at Gracie Mansion after promising to fund government-run programmes through higher taxes on the wealthy. Trump asserted that the Democrat leader's agenda reflects the party's wider pan-America strategy.
He warned, "If you want to see what congressional Democrats wish to do to America, just look at the result of yesterday's election in New York, where their party installed a communist as the mayor of the largest city in the nation."
Trump added, "As I've warned for many years, our opponents are hell-bent on turning America into a communist Cuba, a socialist Venezuela, and you see what happened to those places." He cautioned that extreme Democratic policies could push New Yorkers toward Florida. "Now the Democrats are so extreme that Miami will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York City. They flee... Where do you live? New York City, but I'm trying to leave because I don't want to live in a communist regime."
Taking aim at the city's former Democratic mayor, Bill De Blasio, Trump said, "When I left New York for the White House, it was good except we had the telltale signs of trouble because we had a guy named De Blasio... He goes down as probably the worst mayor in history."
Commenting on Mamdani's victory speech, Trump called it a "very angry" address and said the mayor-elect is off to a bad start. "Yeah, I thought it was a very angry speech, certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be very nice to me. You know, I'm the one who sort of has to approve a lot of things coming to him. So he's off to a bad start."
Responding to Trump, Mamdani addressed the city and his policies, stating that New York will be led by immigrants and marking the toppling of a "political dynasty." "After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power," he said.
He added, "This is not only how we stop Trump; it's how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up."
Mamdani also vowed action against exploitative landlords and corruption, saying, "We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks."
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