'It's a rebellion': Donald Trump predicts Zohran Mamdani will triumph in NYC mayor's race

What did Trump mean by 'rebellion' in NYC mayoral race?

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President Donald Trump predicted Zohran Mamdani would prevail in New York City's race for mayor this fall, saying the 33-year-old legislator represents a "rebellion" against other contenders.

Asked about Mamdani's impressive lead in the polls during a Sept. 12 interview on "Fox and Friends," the president admitted to being surprised that a member of the Democratic Socialists of America is performing so well against well-established opponents.

"Maybe one-on-one somebody could beat him... but it looks like he's gonna win," Trump said. "And that's a rebellion."

Various surveys are showing Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary earlier this year, with a commanding lead over rivals, such as incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in the race to run New York City.

A Quinnipiac University Poll released on Sept. 10, for instance, found 45% of likely voters are backing Mamdani versus 23% behind Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the primary battle. The survey finds Republican Curtis Sliwa holding 15% support and Adams, who is also running as an independent, coming in with 12%.

Trump attributed Mamdani's success in part to the same populist-minded frustrations with politics that elevated him to the White House, saying the race represents a "rebellion against bad candidates," alluding to the troubles and scandals that have hounded Cuomo and Adams, respectively.

"They're tired of it, they're seeing things happening," Trump said. "We have taxes being put on us by Democrats that are so bad even the Democrats are revolting. It's not possible for a Democrat to lose."

‘My little communist’: Trump says Mamdani will need Washington's money

During the Fox and Friends interview, the president prodded the Democratic nominee, referring to him as "my little communist mayor" before warning that if Mamdani triumphs this fall, he will need the Trump administration's help.

"He has to come to Washington for money, a lot of money," Trump said.

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The president has long been a fixture of New York City as a real estate mogul and pop culture figure in tabloids, TV and film before moving to Florida in 2019. He has taken a keen interest in the Big Apple race and jousted with Mamdani over the summer, including a threat to arrest him if, as mayor, Mamdani follows through on pledges not to assist federal officials enforcing immigration laws.

Trump has had conversations with Cuomo about the contest, according to the New York Times, which the former governor denies. But in an audio recording obtained by Politico in August, Cuomo told donors during a private fundraiser in the Hamptons that he believed the president would help pave a path to his election.

"We can minimize (the Sliwa) vote, because he'll never be a serious candidate," Cuomo said in the recording. "And Trump himself, as well as top Republicans, will say the goal is to stop Mamdani."

This month, other reports surfaced saying the Trump administration had considered offering Adams the role of U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia to help clear the field.

"While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made," Adams said. "I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker."

Mamdani, meanwhile, has been leaning into his populist message about lowering costs and addressing rising prices, such as his recent demand that FIFA lower World Cup ticket prices ahead of the highly anticipated soccer tournament in 2026.

"People across this, across this country, across the world are fed up with a model of ticket pricing that views fans as a commodity that can be priced higher and higher and higher," he said.

Mamdani has also been looking to consolidate support among mainstream Democrats, who have been slow to embrace his unabashedly left-leaning candidacy, which seeks to eliminate fares on city buses, freeze rates at all rent-stabilized apartments, establish city-owned grocery stores and create a billion-dollar Department of Community Safety that would handle non-emergency calls.

Many of those ideas have been slammed by conservatives and treated with skepticism by more moderate Democrats, who doubt he can scratch together the proposed $10 billion in revenue to pay for his goals by raising taxes on wealthy individuals and businesses.