US President Donald Trump has once again labelled New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani a “communist” and questioned the legitimacy of his citizenship during a press conference at the unveiling of a new immigration detention centre in Florida’s Everglades.
Speaking to reporters, Trump suggested that Mamdani may have obtained his American citizenship “illegally”, and pledged to keep him under close scrutiny.
“We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,” Trump said. “We send him money, we send him all the things that he needs to run a government.”
He continued: “We’re going to be watching that very carefully. A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally. We’re going to look at everything, but ideally, he’s going to turn out to be much less than a communist. Right now, he’s a communist, that’s not a socialist.”
The remarks come amid growing tensions over Trump’s increasingly inflammatory rhetoric ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. His comments have drawn sharp criticism from Democratic politicians and civil rights advocates, who argue that Trump’s language fuels xenophobia and political intimidation.
Mamdani replies
In response, Mamdani, a progressive lawmaker known for his advocacy on housing and immigration issues, posted a statement condemning Trump’s remarks, particularly his praise of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Trump described Adams, who is currently running for re-election as an independent after leaving the Democratic Party, as a “good person” and claimed to have “helped out a little bit” with the US Justice Department’s decision in April to dismiss a federal corruption case against him.
Mamdani wrote in a social media post: “That Trump included praise for Adams in his authoritarian threats is unsurprising.”
Trump’s renewed attack on Mamdani has been widely interpreted as part of a broader strategy to rally support among far-right voters by targeting progressive elected officials. Critics have warned that such rhetoric risks inciting harassment and undermining democratic norms.
So far, Mamdani has not commented further, but political observers expect the dispute to fuel continued debate over Trump’s influence on immigration and civil discourse in the United States.
