Trump's threat after Hochul endorses Mamdani: 'No reason to be sending good money'

Hochul endorses Mamdani in NYC mayor's race

In a guest essay published in The New York Times, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul formally endorsed Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in NYC's mayor's race. FOX 5 NY's Meredith Gorman has the story.

NEW YORK - President Donald Trump has weighed in on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's endorsement of Zohran Mamdani in the NYC mayor's race. 

In a post on Truth Social, the president seemed to threaten to withhold federal funds from New York State as a punishment, although it's unclear what money Trump is referring to specifically. 

"Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has endorsed the ‘Liddle’ Communist,’ Zohran Mamdani, running for Mayor of New York," Trump wrote. "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 endorses Mamdani

The backstory:

Hochul endorsed Mamdani in a guest essay published Sunday night in The New York Times. 

"New York City deserves a mayor who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable for New Yorkers," Hochul wrote on X, linking to the essay. "That’s @ZohranKMamdani." 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 17: New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani attends a campaign event on August 17, 2025 in Prospect Park in New York City. The Siena College poll released last Tuesday shows Mamdani leading by 19 points over his next-clo

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Gov. Hochul wrote in her essay that both she and Mamdani, if he is elected, will work to confront President Donald Trump's "extreme agenda" with "urgency, conviction and the defiance that defines New York." 

"We must never allow Mr. Trump to control our city like the king he wants to be. Anyone who accepts his tainted influence, or benefits from it, is compromised from the start," her essay states. 

"Zohran and I don’t see eye to eye on everything, and I don’t expect us to. I will always reserve the right to disagree honestly and to argue passionately," she added. "But I also believe that New York State and New York City are at their best when we stand together against those who attempt to tear us apart."

In response, Mamdani said in a statement that he was "grateful to the Governor for her support in unifying our party — as well as the work she’s done standing up to President Trump, securing free lunch meals for our kids and expanding access to child care." 

"There’s so much work left to do, and our movement is only growing stronger," he added. 

Trump and the NYC mayor's race

Big picture view:

This isn't the first time the president has inserted himself into the NYC mayor's race. He previously said he'd like to see it be a one-on-one race, for example. This also isn't the first time he's incorrectly referred to Mamdani as a communist. Mamdani is a self-described democratic socialist. 

FOX 5 NY also reported earlier this month that embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, amid talks about a potential role for the mayor in the administration.

Although Adams has insisted publicly that he's not dropping out of the race, The New York Times has reported that the mayor met with a prominent New York City business group last week at a closed-door meeting. There, the mayor signaled that he may be open to abandoning his re-election bid if he does not think he can win.