Bernie Sanders Scolds Trump For Threatening To Cut NYC Funding If Mamdani Wins

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) criticized President Donald Trump for pledging to withhold federal funding from New York City if Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani wins the general election this November.

“Trump wants to withhold money from New York City if Zohran Mamdani wins. Really?” Sanders wrote Monday night in an X post.

“Because nothing says ‘law and order’ like the President extorting his own city if they don’t vote how he wants,” he added.

Trump, who is from New York, made the threat in a blistering Truth Social post on Monday in which he falsely labeled Mamdani a “communist.”

“Self proclaimed New York City Communist, Zohran Mamdani, who is running for Mayor, will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party,” he wrote. “He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City.”

Trump then alleged that Mamdani “needs the money” from him.

“Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises,” he continued.

Mamdani “won’t be getting any of it,” Trump added.

Trump’s remarks came a day after New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced he was withdrawing from the mayoral race. Adams had been facing allegations of bribery and campaign finance violations until the Justice Department dismissed the case against him earlier this year.

With Adams’ withdrawal, Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) will be facing off in November.

Mamdani, who is currently leading in the polls, responded to Trump’s threats to rip funding from New York on Monday.

“I think that Donald Trump is going through the stages of grief,” he said during a campaign stop. “He began with denial, where he said there was no way we could win this race, and he would use every tool at his disposal to ensure that that was the case.”

Mamdani added: “He’s coming to terms with it because New Yorkers are tired of a politics here in this city that has more to do with Washington than it has to do with the people of this same city.”