‘He’s gotta go through the White House’: Trump hints at ignoring NY voters to block Zohran Mamdani

It’s safe to say Donald Trump isn’t Zohran Mamdani‘s biggest fan. The 34-year-old is currently the runaway favorite to be the next mayor of New York City, winning over voters with his promises for a more equitable and affordable city that’s not entirely in thrall to corporate interests.

For Trump, this means only one thing – Mamdani is a communist! Possibly an illegal immigrant communist that must be deported. Trump has already hinted at arresting Mamdani, dubbing him “a total nut job and bad news”.

Now Trump has gone one step further, openly saying that Mamdani is probably going to win, but that he’ll ignore the democratic wishes of New York City voters as “the good news” is that “he’s gotta go through the White House”:

Trump: "It looks like we're gonna have a Communist as the mayor of New York. But here's the good news — he's gotta go through the White House. Everything goes through the White House. At least this White House it does." pic.twitter.com/bJ5oYlQcd5

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 21, 2025

This is in line with comments on Sept. 29, when he vowed that “[Mamdani] needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it.”

Democracy in action!

I mean, I guess Mamdani must be grateful to you for serving him a gift-wrapped excuse if he can’t fulfill his campaign promises. But – and you might want to be sitting down for this revelation – the New York mayor’s budget doesn’t go “through the White House”.

If elected, Mamdani’s budget would be decided via the New York City Charter, with him proposing it and the City Council adopting it. That said, Trump does wield indirect influence through funding allocations, policy directives, and executive actions that could strangle the city if he deems it worthy of punishment.

Trump’s message to New York City voters is clear – you do not have the right to democratically decide your future, and you do not get to decide who your mayor is. That is a privilege reserved for Donald Trump, and if you elect someone he personally opposes, he will make the city suffer for its disobedience.

Even if you vehemently disagree with Mamdani’s policies, you can’t argue that New Yorkers don’t have a democratic right to choose who their mayor is. But, astonishingly, Trump has decided that only one vote matters: his.