ABC: The comments came when Trump, during a meeting of his Cabinet at the White House, was asked about New York City’s upcoming mayoral election.
Trump attacked Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, and ticked through the other contenders, including Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, though he declined to endorse anyone.
“We’re not going to have — if a communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same. But we have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to,” Trump said.
Governor Kathy Hochul has responded to President Trump’s suggestion that he could take over NYC if Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor.
Trump didn’t elaborate on what authority that would be as he then turned his focus to the nation’s capital.
Trump has long called for the federal government to takeover Washington, complaining that local leaders weren’t effective and arguing the city has become riddled with crime.
According to preliminary data from the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crime is down 25% from this time last year and all crime is down 8%.
The district has some autonomy under the 1973 Home Rule Act, which grants residents the ability to manage affairs by electing a mayor and city council members. But final oversight of the district’s laws and budget are left to Congress. In 2023, for example, the U.S. House of Representatives blocked two local bills from going into effect, including one that would have updated the district’s criminal code.
Trump circled back to talking about New York City, railing against the city’s ranked-choice voting and describing his relationship with Mayor Adams as a “test.”
“New York City will run properly,” he said. “We’re going to bring New York back.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday Suggested A Federal Takeover of New York City And Washington.
