Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Governor Hochul convened on Thursday to strategize in anticipation of potential retaliatory measures from President Trump, as Mamdani prepares to assume office in just seven weeks.
For several months, Trump has been vocal about his intentions to potentially slash federal funding for New York City, increase ICE operations, or even deploy the National Guard should Mamdani, a democratic socialist, win the mayoral seat. The President has frequently labeled Mamdani as a “communist,” warning that his progressive policies could endanger the city.
In a mid-October address at the White House, Trump stated, “I’m not going to send a lot of money to New York,” reported NBC News. “We’re not going to let one of our great cities fall apart. We will sort out the crime issues swiftly, likely within a month.”
He further remarked, “It took us 12 days to address Washington, DC’s issues, so New York is larger, and in Chicago, we’ve already made significant strides, even amidst governmental resistance. We aim to restore these cities.”
Following Mamdani’s victory on November 4, President Trump, originally from Queens, has appeared slightly more measured, expressing last week that he hopes “it works out for New York” and suggesting he might “offer some assistance, possibly.”
Nevertheless, Governor Hochul extended an invitation to Mamdani for a meeting at her Midtown Manhattan office on Thursday. The discussion covered various subjects, emphasizing the potential actions Trump might take once Mamdani officially becomes the youngest mayor in over a century on January 1.
“The Governor and the Mayor-elect discussed the possibility that the federal government would surge ICE and/or National Guard to New York City,” said a readout of the meeting provided by Mamdani’s transition team.
“Both agreed that New York is safe and that a federal surge would not improve public safety, especially given continued declines in crime and the governor’s investments in subway safety. State officials provided an update on ongoing preparedness efforts should the federal government target New York, and the mayor-elect’s team will formally join these coordinated efforts.”
While ICE has been seizing and detaining men and women across New York for months as part of the Trump administrations mass deportation agenda, the city has not seen the same level of confrontation and conflict in other spots, notably Chicago.
The readout of the Mamdani-Hochul meeting said it lasted about an hour. There was no detail on the exact nature of the preparedness efforts.
But Politico reported earlier this month that Hochul has for weeks been convening various New York business leaders and law enforcement officials to game out how New York would respond in the event of various Trump-induced scenarios.
One purpose of those meetings has been to nudge business leaders to signal to Trump that it’d be a waste of federal resources to deploy U.S. troops to New York.
According to the meeting readout, Mamdani and Hochul also discussed various other key issues for New York City, like child care and budgeting.
Mamdani, who has been incorrectly labeled “a communist” by Trump, said earlier this week that he plans to speak to Trump before he takes office Jan. 1.
Unlike outgoing Mayor Adams, Mamdani has vowed to fight Trump, especially over his “mass deportation” efforts targeting undocumented New Yorkers.
