Khaberni - A day before the New York City mayoral elections, a heated debate erupted between US President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.
The Washington Post described the race to win New York’s mayoralty as "the most controversial in the city's modern history".
Competing for the New York mayoralty are Democrat Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo who is running as an independent, alongside Republican Curtis Sliwa, with the final round taking place on Tuesday.
"Sworn Enemies"
The newspaper described Trump and Mamdani as "sworn enemies," noting that they cannot stop talking about each other, seeing benefits in their mutual attacks.
From his side, Trump described Mamdani as "terrible," "notorious," and "completely crazy," indicating the possibility of his arrest.
Trump clarified that as Mayor of New York City, Mamdani "will face problems with Washington like no mayor has ever experienced in our great city's history."
Trump also threatened to withhold federal funds from the city, describing Mamdani's promises as "fake communism".
Trump dubbed Mamdani "Communist Mamdani," and "one of the best things that happened to our great Republican Party."
For his part, Mamdani vowed to "confront Trump at every step," asserting that the majority treat Trump's statements as if they were law.
The newspaper pointed out that both adversaries benefit from this confrontation, as Trump seeks to portray Mamdani as the face of extreme opposition, while Mamdani's promise has helped unite Democrats against their opponent before Tuesday's elections.
Attempts were made by members of Trump's administration to entice the current Mayor Eric Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa to withdraw from the race in exchange for positions within the administration, in order to limit the electoral battle between Mamdani and Cuomo, but Trump denied this.
Similar Political Paths
Despite their differences, their political careers intersect in some aspects, both being from New York, both launching rebellious campaigns, and both embracing controversial stances challenging party positions, which energized their base and angered the senior leadership.
Both also focused on the issue of reducing living costs, and both opponents are eloquent speakers, knowing how to leverage social media to spread their messages.
Mamdani and Trump's supporters see them as "rare and authentic voices in a political landscape full of premeditated slogans."
Polls showed that Mamdani is the most likely candidate to win, with Cuomo coming in second, while Republican Sliwa is in third place.
The newspaper described progressive Muslim Mamdani as the "Cubist face to Trump."
The newspaper speculated that the conflict between Trump and Mamdani would continue if the latter won the election race, throughout the remaining years of Trump's second term.
