Trump says lost 'sovereignty' in New York after Mamdani win

Miami: President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States had lost "sovereignty" after New Yorkers elected leftist Zohran Mamdani as their next mayor.

"We'll take care of it," Trump said without explaining what he meant, while claiming the country's largest city would become communist.

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In a speech in Miami a day after Mamdani's convincing victory, Trump added that the Florida city "will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York."

"The decision facing all Americans could not be more clear: We have a choice between communism and common sense," he said, also casting the choice as between an "economic nightmare" and an "economic miracle."

"we want New York to be successful," Trump further said, adding that he might offer US assistance to Mamdani, the democratic socialist who was elected as New York City's mayor.

The speech marked the first anniversary of Trump's election victory against Democrat Kamala Harris.

"We rescued our economy, regained our liberty, and together we saved our country on that magnificent night 365 days ago," Trump told his audience of supporters.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox News anchor Brett Baier, Trump said that the Mamdani should seek a fresh relationship with Washington, warning that the New York mayor stands to lose a lot if he fails to cooperate.

The US president said he is willing to talk with Mamdani, but emphasised that the new mayor needs to be respectful of Washington — and its financial support of the city — if he wants to succeed.

Mamdani's mayoral race win came despite fierce attacks on his policies and Muslim heritage from business elites, conservative media commentators and Trump himself.

"If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him," Mamdani said in a victory speech late Tuesday.

Mamdani's win, as well as the Democratic Party's other victories in the governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, suggested a shift in political mood as the country looks toward next year's midterm elections, when control of Congress will be up for grabs.

In another significant win for Democrats, voters in California approved a proposition to redraw electoral districts in a bid to neutralize gerrymandering efforts ordered by Trump in other states.

Trump refused to take any blame for Tuesday's results.

In a post on his Truth Social network, he cited anonymous "pollsters" suggesting the Republican defeats were due to the government shutdown and the fact that his own name wasn't on the ballots.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist made history by becoming the first Muslim mayor of the largest US city, defeating Democratic former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Earlier, Trump acknowledged that Democrats’ sweeping electoral gains signalled mounting trouble for Republicans, calling the results “not good” and linking the setbacks to the record-long federal government shutdown, now stretching into its sixth week.

Addressing GOP senators at a White House breakfast, Trump reflected on the outcome, saying it had not been a positive night for anyone.

The US president said: "We had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot, and we're going to talk about that."

He attributed the Republican setbacks partly to the prolonged government shutdown, citing pollsters who found it "a big factor, negative for the Republicans". Trump added that some analysts viewed his absence from the ballot as the biggest factor.

Trump accused Democrats of being prepared to destroy the country as the government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, eclipsing the 35-day record set during the Republican leader's first term.

Mamdani to Trump: 'Turn the volume up'

Mamdani wasted no time calling out President Trump, formally kicking off the battle that will likely define relations between the 34-year-old mayor and the president whose celebrity is tied to the city.

"Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up!" Mamdani, a Democrat, said during a Tuesday night speech to a raucous crowd of supporters shortly after being declared the victor.

"If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him," Mamdani told supporters. "And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one."