New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani appeared on CNN on Monday, pledging to fight President Donald Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding from the city if he were elected.
When asked by CNN’s Erin Burnett if he would accept New York City losing billions in federal funding per Trump’s threat, Mamdani said he would fight to retain the money for his agenda.
"No, we will fight for every single dollar that the city currently receives from the federal government," he told Burnett.
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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani appears on CNN, Sept. 29, 2025. (Screenshot/CNN)
Mamdani argued that the best way to respond to Trump's threats is through strength, pointing to other states, like California, which has fought the Trump administration in court.
"What we see in California is an attorney general of the state has estimated that for every $1 they spent on lawsuits against the federal government's threats to withhold funding, they won more than $30,000 in what would otherwise have been lost," he claimed. "And so we will take that same approach."
Just hours before Mamdani's interview with CNN on Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that if Mamdani were to win, "He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City. Remember, he 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, so what’s the point of voting for him?"
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Following NYC Mayor Eric Adams' announcement this week that he is dropping his bid for reelection, Mamdani is currently seen as the front-runner against former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
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Burnett asked Mamdani whether he believed there was "some sort of deal" made between Adams and Trump to undermine his candidacy.
"I can’t speak to that," he replied. "All I can tell you, though, is that, you know, Donald Trump. Trump is clearing the way for Andrew Cuomo because Donald Trump knows that Andrew Cuomo will clear the way for Trump’s agenda. And New Yorkers are tired of that agenda."
The mayoral hopeful argued that New Yorkers want someone who's "actually beholden to the people of this city, not to the White House."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.