Speaking at America Business Forum in Miami , Trump, who had earlier called Mamdani a "communist", suggested he was open to offering limited federal support to New York, despite his sharp criticism of the incoming Mayor
"The communist, Marxist socialists and globalists had their chance, and they delivered nothing but disaster. And now let's see how a communist does in New York," Trump said, before adding, "We're going to see how that works out. And we'll help them. We'll help them. We want New York to be successful. We'll help them a little bit, maybe.
The remarks mark a shift from Trump's earlier warning ahead of the election, when he threatened to restrict federal funding "other than the very minimum as required" if Mamdani emerged victorious.
US President Donald Trump has termed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's victory speech on election night a “very angry” address, saying he is off to a bad start and doesn't have a chance of succeeding if he is not respectful of Washington.
“Yeah, I thought it was a very angry speech, certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be very nice to me. You know, I'm the one that sort of has to approve a lot of things coming to him. So he's off to a bad start,” Trump said in an interview to Fox News in Miami on Wednesday when asked about Mamdani's victory speech.
In his fiery address, Mamdani challenged Trump and heralded the toppling of “political dynasty”.
Amid Trump's crackdown on immigration, Mamdani said New York will be powered by immigrants and after his historic victory, it will be “led by an immigrant”.
“After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power,” Mamdani said to thunderous applause.
“This is not only how we stop Trump; it's how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.
“We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks.
“We will stand alongside unions and expand labour protection because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have ironclad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed.
“New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” Mamdani said.
“So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” he added.
When asked how he would respond to Mamdani's tirade against him, Trump said it is a “very dangerous statement for him to make actually”.
“And you know, you talk about danger, I think it's a very dangerous statement for him to make. He has to be a little bit respectful of Washington, because if he's not, he doesn't have a chance of succeeding,” the president said.
Trump added that he doesn't want to make Mamdani succeed but “I want to make the city succeed, and we'll see what happens”.
When asked if he would reach out to him, Trump said that Mamdani “should reach out to us really”.
“I think he should reach out. I'm here. We'll see what happens. But I would think that it would be more appropriate for him to reach out to us.”
Trump added that he is “so torn, because I would like to see the new mayor do well, because I love New York. I really love New York”.
Trump, who calls Mamdani a “communist”, said that for thousands of years, communism has not worked. “Communism or the concept of communism has not worked. I tend to doubt it's going to work this time,” he said.
In a Truth Social post last week, Trump said New York would face a "complete and total disaster" under Mamdani's leadership and vowed not to send "good money after bad."
In his Miami speech, however, Trump maintained his criticism of Mamdani's political ideology, calling him a "communist" and linking his rise to what he described as a broader leftward drift within the Democratic Party.
"If you want to see what Congressional Democrats wish to do to America, just look at the results of yesterday's election in New York, where their party installed a communist as the mayor of the largest city in the nation," Trump said at the American Business Forum.
"Remember, I said we will never have a socialist elected to any post in our country? I used to say that ... we skipped socialists, we put in the communists instead."
Despite the biting tone, Trump's later comments about "helping" New York mark a subtle but notable shift from his earlier comments.
Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, achieved a historic win as voters turned New York City blue once again. The 34-year-old Assemblyman from Queens became the city's first Muslim mayor and its youngest leader in over a century, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Born in Uganda to filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, the new mayor secured more than a million votes, the highest for any New York mayoral candidate in three decades, according to The Hill. Mamdani garnered 50.6 per cent of the votes, while Cuomo trailed at 41.7 per cent.
As confetti rained down at his victory bash, Mamdani channelled his Indian roots with poetic flair, quoting Nehru's iconic independence eve address in 1947, the 'Tryst with Destiny'.
Speaking to his supporters, Mamdani cited Nehru's words, saying, "I'm reminded of Jawahar Lal Nehru's words. 'A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance.' Tonight, New York has done just that. This new era demands clarity, courage, and vision, not excuses."
Mamdani's victory is a feat to remember, as he is also the first South Asian immigrant to hold the office of Mayor of New York City.