Khaberni - President Donald Trump warned that he might object to sending federal funding to his hometown, New York City, if leftist candidate Zehran Mmdani wins this week, as the mayor of America's largest city.
Trump said in a television interview: "It will be hard for me as president to give a lot of money to New York, because if there's a communist running New York, all you do is waste the money you send there."
The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to cut grants and federal funding for projects primarily located in Democrat-run areas.
Trump's statements come at a time when polls indicate that Democrat Zehran Mmdani is leading his main rival, also Democrat, the former Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, on the eve of the elections scheduled for Tuesday.
Trump did not clarify in his statement what would happen to federal funding for New York City if Mmdani wins. The city received federal funding in the current fiscal year amounting to $7.4 billion.
Trump added in an extensive interview with the 60 Minutes program on CBS, on Sunday, that electing Mmdani as mayor would make former leftist New York Mayor Bill de Blasio look great.
The President said about Mmdani: "I have seen how poorly de Blasio did as mayor, and this guy will do a much worse job than de Blasio."
During the interview, Trump, who grew up in the Queens neighborhood of New York, expressed his support for the other candidate, Andrew Cuomo, despite him being a Democrat.
The Republican president said: "I'm not a fan of Cuomo in any way, but if the choice is between a bad Democrat and a communist, I will always choose the bad Democrat, to be frank with you."
Mmdani, a member of the legislative assembly and who will manage the world’s largest financial center if he wins, describes himself as a democratic socialist, although he has rejected accusations that he is a communist, joking in a television interview that he is somewhat like a Scandinavian politician , "but darker-skinned."
Mmdani, 34, won the Democratic primary, while his rival Cuomo came in second place. Mmdan described Cuomo, the former governor of New York, as a puppet and a parrot for Trump.
Mmdani said on Monday: "Dealing with Donald Trump's presidency requires not replicating another image of him here in the city hall."
He added that the goal is to find an alternative that reflects what New Yorkers strongly aspire to in their city, and what they find in themselves and their neighbors every day, in a city that believes in the dignity of everyone who considers this place home.
On the other hand, his rival Cuomo attempted to counter this attack by presenting himself as the only candidate with enough experience to deal with the Trump administration.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Cuomo held the position of Governor of New York State when many states clashed with the Trump administration, and he was investigated after state investigators revealed significant misinformation in the number of deaths in nursing homes during the pandemic outbreak.
Cuomo said during one of the debates: "I faced Donald Trump. When I defend New York, I will not stop."
Trump deployed the National Guard in cities led by Democrats under the pretext of a crime-fighting campaign, while at the same time seeking to withhold funding from jurisdictions that limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
