Trump recognizes in Mamdani the face of the Democratic opposition

WashingtonDonald Trump has acknowledged a rival in New York's newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, Because he has also recognized an equal. Mamdani's magnetism and ability to mobilize people, despite being ideologically opposed to the Republican, could overshadow the charisma of the US president. Despite having very different energies and being focused on very different causes, the determination felt among Mamdani's followers on Tuesday night was also reminiscent of the convinced strength of those attending Trump rallies. The main difference is the axis from which the emotions moved: the former from hope, the latter from resentment.

The US president He captured it at the moment when Mamdani caused a surprise in the party primariesAnd since then, he has attacked him with false accusations of antisemitism, labeling him a communist, and even threatening to review the US citizenship he obtained in 2018. He has also threatened to send the National Guard to New York if Mamdani wins.

In recent months, Trump has militarized other dissenting cities, such as Los Angeles and Washington, and has turned the Justice Department into his office for settling personal scores. Among the enemies against whom Trump has unleashed state prosecutors is New York Attorney General Letitia James. She was the one who led the prosecution in the tax fraud case for which Trump was convicted.

Despite the threats and precedents, Mamdani has not been intimidated. In his victory speech, after sweeping an election with record-breaking turnout that surpassed the 2021 mayoral election figures, the Democrat addressed Trump directly. "Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you," he said, provoking him, "Turn up the volume." Mamdani wasn't wrong; Trump was watching him on television, as later confirmed by press secretary Karoline Leavitt. "To get to any one of us, he'll have to go through all of us," Mamdani said defiantly, aware of Trump's willingness to use institutional mechanisms to persecute his political rivals. The Democrat made it clear in his speech that he would not yield to Trump's pressure and that New York City would become the political movement of how the New York politician... Both the Democrat and the Republican knew that night was also brewing a new movement that would break with the lethargy of the Democratic Party.

The mayor's strategy

De factoTrump has already recognized Mamdani as the face of the Democratic opposition. But Mamdani is playing a different game: rather than attacking, he's offering resistance. In part, because if he were to engage in direct confrontation with Trump, he would lose consistency with his promise to solve the city's problems. But the two are not incompatible. Mamdani wants to turn the city into a sanctuary for minorities persecuted by the administration: from LGBTQ+ people to migrants. "I will work with the president if he wants to collaborate to fulfill his campaign promises about cheaper groceries or a lower cost of living," the mayor-elect said in an interview on NY1 on Wednesday. But he reiterated that "if the president tries to go against the people of this city, I will be there defending them every step of the way." Within the political arena, one of the characteristics that Trump most respects is strength. In geopolitics, his admiration for the idea of strong leaders, even autocrats like Vladimir Putin, has become clear. The US president only treats as equals those who dare to challenge him, because in his logic, it takes courage to take on someone like him. Especially now that he is accumulating so much power within the executive branch.

There are many ways Trump could make life more difficult for Mamdani. There are dozens of federal funding sources that flow to New York City that the president could shut down: from those that finance transportation to the police themselves. However, doing so could backfire spectacularly, both because of the businesses he still maintains in the city and politically. Throwing wrenches in Mamdani's wheels would only strengthen his followers and escalate the movement.

Nervousness in the White House?

Trump's nervousness over Mamdani's victory and the blue wave in other states—such as the state elections in Virginia and New Jersey—was evident in the president's constant posts reminding everyone of his own victory in last year's presidential election. The president was celebrating his birthday and barely commenting on the election, which also served as a kind of referendum on Trump's first nine months in office.

Attempting to absolve himself of responsibility for the poor showing of the Republican candidates, the president wrote the following on Truth Social: "Trump's absence from the ballot and the government shutdown were two of the reasons why Republicans lost in tonight's election, according to the polls." Perhaps unwittingly, Trump was offering a very accurate analysis of the Republican Party's root problem: having transformed into a personality-driven party, Trump's party, its survival depends exclusively on a 79-year-old "old man." Even Laura Loomer, one of MAGA's biggest allies, wrote months ago that one of the biggest problems is that Trumpism won't outlive Trump.