(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump cautioned New York City’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, to “be nice” following his victory, claiming that the incoming leader had adopted an antagonistic tone toward him. In an interview, Trump said, “I thought it was a very angry speech. Certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be nice to me. I'm sort of the one that has to approve a lot of things coming to him, so he's off to a bad start.”

When asked about Mamdani’s election night comments—“So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us”—Trump described them as troubling. “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, and I want to make him succeed — I want to make the city succeed. I don't want to make him succeed. I want to make the city succeed, and we'll see what happens,” he said.

Reflecting on the elections, Trump remarked that he followed the results closely in what he called “three pretty Democratic states,” adding, “I would like to see the new mayor do well, because I love New York. I really love New York.”

Mamdani, 34, won the mayoral race against independent candidate and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, as well as Republican contender Curtis Sliwa. His victory makes him the first Muslim and South Asian mayor in New York City’s history. A self-identified democratic socialist, Mamdani campaigned on issues of affordability and social equity, promising initiatives such as free public buses, universal childcare, city-operated grocery stores, rent-stabilized housing, and an increased minimum wage.

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