Just days after making history as New York City’s first Muslim mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani is now facing an unprecedented threat: the President of the United States wants to strip him of his citizenship.
On Nov. 4, 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani secured a decisive victory, defeating Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa by a wide margin. When he takes office on January 1, 2026, he will become the first Muslim, first South Asian, first African-born, and first Millennial mayor in the city’s history.
“The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate,” Mamdani told a roaring crowd at his election night rally. “I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of this.”
The crowd outside Brooklyn Paramount erupted as he continued: “New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change.”
That mandate came after a grassroots campaign focused on the affordability crisis facing millions of New Yorkers. Mamdani ran on a bold progressive platform that included free public bus service, universal childcare, and a rent freeze on stabilized apartments. Despite facing opponents with deep financial backing and establishment support, his victory stunned national observers.
But Mamdani’s journey to New York’s highest office began far from the five boroughs.
Became citizen in 2018
He arrived in the U.S. from Uganda in 1998, when he was just seven years old. After living for years as a lawful permanent resident, he became a U.S. citizen in 2018 – a step that allowed him to eventually run for office.
Now, as the assemblyman prepares to take the reins of City Hall, Mamdani’s historic win has sparked intense backlash – not just from critics, but from some of the most powerful voices in conservative politics, including President Donald Trump.
ICE, threats, and retaliation
The attacks on Mamdani had already started months before Election Day.
During his primary victory speech in June 2025, Mamdani pledged to “stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors.”
The bold promise quickly drew national attention – and a sharp response from Trump, who according to ABC News, said, “Well then, we’ll have to arrest him.”
The POTUS – who at the time called the mayor-elect a “nut job” – also echoed baseless claims that Mamdani is in the country unlawfully.
“A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally,” Trump said. “We’re going to look at everything. Ideally, he’s going to turn out to be much less than a communist. But right now, he’s a communist. That’s not a socialist.”
‘Will not accept this intimidation’
Mamdani didn’t stay silent. He posted a statement on X in response: “The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city.”
He continued, “His statements don’t just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you.
“We will not accept this intimidation,” he added in his July 1 post.
‘Going to have problems with Washington’
As Election Day approached, Trump escalated his attacks. On Truth Social, he labeled Mamdani a “self-proclaimed New York City Communist” and declared that his candidacy would benefit Republicans.
“Self-proclaimed New York City Communist, Zohran Mamdani, who is running for Mayor, will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to CNBC. “He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City.”
“Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his fake communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it,” he ranted over Mamdani – a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, not communist.
Deportation threats and far-right fury
But it didn’t stop there – others in the Republican Party took a darker turn.
On Oct. 29, Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles issued a news release calling for Mamdani to be investigated and stripped of his U.S. citizenship.
Ogles accused Mamdani – without offering evidence – of lying on his naturalization application and of being affiliated with “communist” and “terroristic” ideologies.
“If Mamdani lied on his naturalisation documents, he doesn’t get to be a citizen, and he certainly doesn’t get to run for mayor of New York City,” Ogles wrote.
“A great American city is on the precipice of being run by a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology. The American naturalization system requires any alignments with communism or terrorist activities to be disclosed. I’m doubtful he disclosed them. If this is confirmed, put him on the first flight back to Uganda,” wrote Ogles, whose attacks against the mayor-elect have not stopped.
But legal experts quickly pushed back. As PolitiFact reported, there is “no credible evidence that Mamdani lied on his citizenship application,” and “denaturalization, the process of revoking a person’s citizenship, can be done only by judicial order.”
In other words, partisan outrage is not enough.
‘Get through all of us’
As Mamdani prepares to take office, it’s clear that it won’t be a political honeymoon. Instead, he’s stepping into power amid growing threats, media scrutiny, and right-wing fury. But if his response so far is any indication, he’s not stepping back.
“To get to any of us,” Mamdani said on election night, “you will have to get through all of us.”
What do you think about the ongoing battle between the president and Zohran Mamdani? Are you team Trump or team Mamdani? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story so we can get the conversation going!
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