US President Donald Trump on Tuesday triggered fresh controversy after declaring that any Jewish person who votes for New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani “is a stupid person,” calling the Democrat a “proven and self-professed Jew hater.”
The Truth Social monolog marked yet another attempt by the president to inject himself into the city’s fiercely contested mayoral race, where state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani — a 34-year-old progressive Muslim Democrat — faces off against former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
“Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self-professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!!” Trump wrote, doubling down on his claim that Jewish Americans who back Democrats are voting against their own interests.
The comment came a day after Trump urged New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo, warning he would cut federal funding to the city if Mamdani wins Tuesday’s election. “New York will collapse under him,” Trump said, branding the candidate a “radical socialist who hates Israel.”
Mamdani has repeatedly denied accusations of antisemitism, saying his criticism is directed at the Israeli government’s policies, not Jewish people. “Calling for human rights doesn’t make me a Jew hater — it makes me human,” he said earlier this week.
For Trump, who has long struggled to attract Jewish American voters, the rhetoric echoed familiar themes. At a 2024 Israeli-American summit, he said, “If 60% of Jewish people are voting for the enemy, Israel will cease to exist within two years.”
Mamdani, who could become New York’s first Muslim mayor, has drawn endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, energizing the city’s progressive base with promises of rent freezes, free child care, and fare-free buses.
Cuomo, meanwhile, is betting on support from moderates and disaffected Republicans — and has even received a $1.5 million boost from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PAC. Trump’s eleventh-hour endorsement of Cuomo adds an unexpected twist to a race already defined by clashing ideologies, generational divides, and the city’s enduring identity crisis.
Mamdani and Cuomo voted on Tuesday morning in Queens and Manhattan, respectively, while Sliwa had already cast his ballot during early voting.
The New York mayoral race has thrust Zohran Mamdani into the national spotlight, drawing fire from Donald Trump and top Republicans who have painted him as the face of a new, hard-left Democratic movement. Trump has gone further — threatening to “take over” the city if Mamdani wins and even vowing to arrest and deport the Uganda-born state lawmaker, despite his being a US citizen.
Though Mamdani has toned down some of his earlier rhetoric, his rise continues to unsettle parts of the Democratic establishment. Several senior New York Democrats have hesitated to back him — and a few have openly withheld their support.
Tuesday’s election is a straightforward, high-stakes contest: whoever wins the most votes takes City Hall. The earlier primaries used ranked-choice voting, but this time, it’s all or nothing.
