President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to withhold federal funding from New York following Gov. Kathy Hochul’s endorsement of Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in the city’s mayoral race.

“Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has Endorsed [sic] the ‘Liddle Communist,’ Zohran Mamdani, running for Mayor of New York,” Trump wrote on his social media platform early Monday. “This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City. How can such a thing happen? Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!”

Hochul’s endorsement represents a significant shift for the governor, who had kept her distance from Mamdani’s candidacy for months.

“In the past few months, I’ve had frank conversations with him. We’ve had our disagreements,” Hochul wrote. “But in our conversations, I 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. I heard a leader who is focused on making New York City affordable — a goal I enthusiastically support.”

The governor’s move gives a boost to Mamdani, a democratic socialist assemblyman from Queens who won the Democratic nomination in June but has so far struggled to win backing from the state’s political establishment.

Top Democratic leaders — including Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — have yet to endorse Mamdani. It remains unclear whether Hochul’s decision will pressure them to fall in line.

Trump’s remarks mark his second intervention in the New York mayoral race in less than a week. On Friday, the president told Fox & Friends that Mamdani appeared poised to win the four-way contest against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. “I’m not looking at the polls too carefully, but it would look like he’s going to win,” Trump said. “And that’s a rebellion.”

Mamdani, 33, has built his campaign around proposals such as taxing the wealthy, expanding affordable housing, and providing free public transit — a platform that has energized progressive voters but drawn criticism from moderates and business leaders. Hochul’s endorsement could unify fractured Democratic support behind him at a pivotal moment in the race.

The threat of federal funding cuts introduces a new layer of risk for the state, as New York relies heavily on federal aid for infrastructure, housing, and public safety. The White House did not provide details on what funds could be at risk.

The New York mayoral election is set for November 4.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)