The victory of the young Socialist Zohran Mamdani in New York City Hall puts the focus of citizens’ attention on the left wing of the Democratic Partybut at the same time tensions the relationship between the most populated city in the country and the government of Donald Trumpwho has already threatened to cut the federal funds he receives and deepened his criticism against the elected mayor by disparagingly calling him a communist.
Martin Schapirograduated in Law from the University of Buenos Aires, specialized in Administrative Law and International Relations, indicated to Page/12 that Mamdani is a figure that joins others such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (also known by her initials AOC), who appear as figures with national projection and recognition, with a clear and well-placed agenda within the left. “It deepens that clearly democratic socialist line that Sanders and AOC already integrateand that has gained strength especially among the base of the Democratic party,” said Schapiro.
Mamdani’s arrival
At 34 years old, the Democratic candidate obtained 50.4 percent of the votes with 91 percent counted, and with a record participation since 1969 despite the latest attempts by Trump and by tycoons like Elon Musk, to stop its advance with messages and money. A Muslim born in Uganda, the electoral mayor who will take office on January 1 especially mobilized young people, who supported him in the form of an army of volunteers for his campaign, overriding his rivals, who insisted that he lacked experience.
During that period he focused on the high cost of living in the Big Apple and seduced New Yorkers with promises of free childcare and collectives, affordable housing and a network of low-priced city-run businesses. The “what” was widely received, but the “how” generated suspicion among elites: a 2 percent increase in taxes on residents who earn at least $1 million, and matching the top tax rate for businesses to that of New Jersey, at 11.5 percent, which is expected to raise about $9 billion a year.
The professor of sociology and Latin American studies at the University of Texas at Austin, Daniel Fridmanmentioned to this medium that Mamdani’s victory is bad news for the government. “Over the last 25 years, New York has voted for more centrist Democrats, or for a Republican not aligned with the national party, like Michael Bloomberg. The current mayor (Eric Adams, Democrat) has been protected by the federal government in corruption cases involving him. And Trump gave his explicit support to Andrew Cuomo. So he changed a friend for an enemy.“he explained.
“More moderate Democrats won other elections this week (in New Jersey and Virginia, and a referendum to redistrict California), with the return to the Democratic party of demographic groups that had moved to Trump in 2024. It is early to know the effect but it is not good news for Trump,” said Fridman. “But on the other hand, the federal government has mobilized security forces towards big cities (which are Democratic), building the idea of permanent urban chaos. The election of a socialist with little management experience opens up another identifiable target for Trump to attack and scare centrist voters,” he said.
The geopolitical impact
To SchapiroNew York City is an important “shop window” location, but it does not determine American politics. “No figure emerged from there, not even Rudolph Giuliani -who was mayor during the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 and also a Republican, so he was far from the progressive label that surrounds the city-, managed to project itself as a national reference in recent decades,” he considered.
“What I find interesting is that Trump chose Mamdani as a figure to polarize, as an ideological counterfigure with whom he also confronts on the Latin American level,” he said. Schapirowho emphasized: “It was very curious that he repeated the same campaign speech that he had used with Javier Mileiby warning that if ‘the communist candidate’ won, he was going to withhold funds from the US government,” he emphasized.
To Friedmana local election does not have great geopolitical significance, and agreed with Schapiro that the Republican magnate’s government sought, during the legislative election campaign in Argentina, to present the return of Peronism as a threat with figures from the democratic left like Mamdani. “The Trump administration often mixes domestic and foreign politics in its rhetoric, and is likely to use Mamdani’s victory to compare him to external enemies like Maduro.beyond the enormous differences,” he stressed.
Precisely, Trump assured at the America Business Forum that Miami “will be a refuge for those who escape the communist regime” in New York and accused the Democrats of wanting to turn the country into Cuba or Venezuela. He also maintained that “the United States lost a bit of sovereignty” with the socialist victory. Hours earlier, the president acknowledged defeat in both the election in New York and the races for the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey, where Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won by a wide margin. However, he blamed the results on the government shutdown, which has now become the longest in the country’s history at 36 days.
“As you know, a victory was not expected. They were very Democratic areas, but I don’t think it was good for the Republicans. In fact, I don’t think it was good for anyone. But we had an interesting night and we learned a lot,” Trump said in a meeting before senators of his party at the White House. “I think if you read the polls, the government shutdown was a major negative factor for the Republicans, and they say that the fact that I was not on the ballot was the most determining factor,” reiterated the Republican magnate, who again blamed the Democrats for the federal paralysis.
“I’m willing to talk”
For his part, Mamdani presented this Wednesday his transition team, which includes Elana Leopold, who worked with former New York mayor Bill de Blasio (2014-2021), or Maria Torres-Springer, who was first vice mayor of the outgoing councilor, Eric Adams. “New Yorkers deserve a government they can trust. When I take office, on January 1, 2026, a new era will begin for the city, an era in which we all feel involved,” he said at a press conference in the borough of Queens.
Mamdani also had words for Trump, who had called him a “communist” and who threatened to cut off federal funds if he won the election. “This is a president who campaigned on promising cheaper food and has now gone so far as to cut SNAP benefits for nearly 2 million New Yorkers,” he said. Even so, The mayor-elect said he hopes to hold talks with the president. “If there is ever something to talk about that could benefit the people of this city, I am ready and willing to talk to anyone about it,” he stressed.
The socialist assured that New York is currently facing a double crisis: an authoritarian administration and an affordability crisis. “It will be my responsibility to fulfill both. It will be my responsibility to defend the city and also ensure that we do not see Washington as the reason for all the problems we have here in New York City,” he said.
