Mamdani speaks directly to Trump, stops short of giving him credit in Mideast peace deal

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani stopped short of giving President Donald Trump credit for the Middle East peace deal and addressed the commander-in-chief directly on how he'd run the Big Apple if elected in an interview Wednesday on "The Story." 

"I am thankful, and I have hope [the deal] will actually endure and it will be lasting," Mamdani told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum.

However, when asked whether he'd give credit to Trump for Phase 1 of his administration's Gaza peace deal, Mamdani said it is still "too early" to do so. 

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The self-described "Democratic socialist" later went on to directly address the president, who has been a frequent vocal critic of his progressive policy goals.

"I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams, who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail. I won't be a disgraced governor, like Andrew Cuomo, who will call you to ask how to win this election," Mamdani said. "I can do those things on my own." 

"I will, however, be a mayor who's willing to speak at any time to lower the cost of living."

Mamdani's remarks are the latest in the war of words between him and Trump. 

The president has repeatedly said he would withhold federal funds and deploy the National Guard if Mamdani is elected mayor of New York City. An Oct. 9 Quinnipiac University poll shows Mamdani maintaining a double-digit lead against independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, less than a month before Election Day.

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On Tuesday, Trump re-emphasized his threat.

"We have a communist, 33 years old, doesn't know a thing, probably never worked a day in his life, and he sort of caught on. I'm not going to send a lot of money to New York," Trump said. "We're not going to ruin one of our great cities, because we'll make that great. We will clean up the crime in about 30 days."

"It took 12 days to do Washington, DC, so New York is bigger, and Chicago, we've already made a lot of progress despite fighting from the government. All of these cities, we want to clean them up," he continued. "We don't like that opposition. But if somebody is going to be a communist mayor of New York, it's a fluke if he gets in."

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On Monday, Mamdani commented on Hamas' release of Israeli hostages in a statement that notably did not mention Trump. 

"There is finally a glimmer of hope that this ceasefire will hold and the long difficult work of reconstruction can begin," Mamdani posted on X. "I also know this news brings solace to millions of New Yorkers, who've felt the pain of the past few years. We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide. The moral and human cost will be a lasting stain and requires accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government's policies."

When MacCallum pressed Mamdani for pledging to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu if elected, the candidate cited the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants for the Israeli leader.

"I've said that this is a city that believes international law," Mamdani replied. "And this is a city that wants to uplift and uphold those beliefs. 

Although the ICC charged Netanyahu with "crimes against humanity and war crimes," the U.S. has never signed the court's treaty.

Mamdani did not address American grounds for arresting Netanyahu.

"I can tell you that I am going to exhaust every legal option in front of me, not to make new laws to do so," Mamdani added.

He also touted his city's more progressive wave winning the "battle over the soul of the Democratic Party" during his rally on Monday.

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Mamdani will debate his two political opponents Thursday night ahead of New York City's mayoral election on Nov. 4.