President Donald Trump threatened early Monday to withhold federal funds from New York after Gov. Kathy Hochul publicly endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor, calling the endorsement “shocking” in an online post.
Trump wrote that Hochul had endorsed the “Liddle’ Communist,” adding, “This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City.” He asked, “How can such a thing happen?” and wrote, “No reason to be sending good money after bad!”
The endorsement, revealed Sunday evening by the New York Post and followed by a guest essay from Hochul in the New York Times, marks a striking intervention by the Democratic governor in the city's hotly contested mayoral race. In her essay, Hochul said she had engaged in “frank conversations” with Mamdani and heard “a leader who shares my commitment to a New York where children can grow up safe in their neighborhoods and where opportunity is within reach for every family.” She added that she heard “a leader who is focused on making New York City affordable — a goal I enthusiastically support.”
Zohran Mamdani, a Queens lawmaker who secured the Democratic nomination in June, is widely described as aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and has been characterized in media reports as a far-left candidate. The endorsement by Hochul represents a notable establishment backing for a candidate who, according to reporting, struggled earlier to win the support of party leaders.
Several influential New York Democrats remained publicly uncommitted following Hochul’s announcement. State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had not announced endorsements for the Queens lawmaker, and it was not immediately clear whether Hochul’s move would prompt them to lend their support.
Trump’s denunciation came three days after he told Fox & Friends that Mamdani, whom he described as an “unabashed” DSA candidate, appeared likely to fare well in the race, saying, “I’m not looking at the polls too carefully, but it would look like he’s going to win,” and calling the prospect “a rebellion.”
Hochul had largely refrained from intervening in the mayoral contest until the endorsement was published. Her decision to publicly back Mamdani is significant because it places the governor on one side of a fractious local contest that features former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa.
The timing of the endorsement — disclosed by the Post shortly before Hochul’s opinion piece appeared in the New York Times — intensified the immediate political reaction. Reporting noted that the endorsement was seen as a major boost for Mamdani within the broader contest, potentially altering calculations among both voters and party officials.
The White House and representatives for Gov. Hochul did not provide immediate further comment to the media in the early hours following Trump’s post. The broader implications of the president’s threat, including any specific mechanisms for withholding federal funds, were not detailed in his message.
The mayoral race has become a focus of national attention, with competing narratives about public safety, affordability and governance shaping voter debate. Mamdani’s nomination in June established him as the Democratic standard-bearer in a city where Democratic endorsements and intra-party dynamics often play a decisive role in general election outcomes.
As the campaign moves forward, party leaders’ responses to Hochul’s endorsement and any subsequent actions by the Trump administration are likely to shape both the tone of the contest and the strategies of the candidates. For now, the endorsement has drawn stark public reactions from figures on both sides of the political spectrum and added a new chapter to an already closely watched mayoral contest.