Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says New York will resist Trump ‘intimidation’
ABC News
(NEW YORK) — New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday that he would not be “intimidated” by potential threats from President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard to the city.
“His threats are inevitable,” Mamdani said. “This has nothing to do a safety, it has to do with intimidation.”
“If it was safety, President Trump would be threatening to the deploy the National Guard to the top 10 states of crime, eight out of which are all Republican-led,” Mamdani added. “But because of that party he won’t actually be doing it.”
The 34-year-old democratic socialist was propelled to victory amid a record turnout in New York City. More than 2 million voters turned out on Tuesday — the first time a mayoral election crossed that threshold since 1969.
Mamdani will become the city’s youngest mayor since 1892 and the first Muslim to hold the office.
Mamdani also said he saw his election victory as a “mandate” to pursue the “most ambitious” affordability agenda for New Yorkers in decades.
He described the first steps toward funding that agenda as pushing to raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers — along with raising corporate taxes to 11.5% from its current level at about 7.25%.
“These things together raise about $9 billion,” he said, “which more than pays for the economic agenda and also starts to Trump-proof our city.”
Mamdani’s proposal for city-funded universal child care is among the policies he said he planned to fund with new tax revenues.
Charlie Kirk poses at The Cambridge Union on May 19, 2025 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. (Photo by Nordin Catic/Getty Images for The Cambridge Union)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced conservative activist Charlie Kirk died on Wednesday after being shot at a campus university event in Utah.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
Before the announcement, Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, “It’s horrific. It’s one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen.”
“He was a good man. He was an incredible guy. Nobody like him,” Trump told Karl.
Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, was a close ally to Trump and many members of his administration. Several top officials issued messages of support for Kirk and his family as news of the shooting first spread.
Vice President JD Vance shared Trump’s announcement of Kirk’s death and wrote on X, “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was “heartbroken” by Kirk’s killing.
“He was an incredible husband and father and a great American. May he rest in eternal peace with our Lord,” Rubio posted on X.
The House of Representatives held a moment of silence for Kirk on Wednesday afternoon.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers condemned the shooting.
“This is detestable,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said. “Political violence has become all too common in American society, and this is not who they are.”
Johnson added, “We need every political figure, we need everyone who has a platform, to say this loudly and clearly, we can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil manner, and political violence must be pulled out, and it has to stop.”
“There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune wrote on X.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called it a “sick and despicable attack.”
Former President Joe Biden said “there is no place in our country for this kind of violence.”
“It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones,” Biden said in a post on X.
“I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah,” former Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on X. “Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family. Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who earlier this year hosted Kirk for the first episode of his new podcast, called the attack “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. “
“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on X: “Political violence is NEVER acceptable. My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family.”
Gabrielle Giffords, a former Democratic congresswoman who was shot in the head during a public event in 2011, also shared a message condemning acts of political violence. Giffords later founded a national gun violence prevention group.
“I’m horrified to hear that Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah. Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence. Mark and I are praying for Charlie’s recovery,” Giffords wrote.
Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, whose husband was violently assaulted in their California home by an invader looking for Pelosi, called the shooting “horrific” and “reprehensible.”
“Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation,” Pelosi wrote on X. “All Americans should pray for Charlie Kirk’s recovery and hold the entire UVU community in our hearts as they endure the trauma of this gun violence.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Ali Moustafa/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Democrats are again making a run at a Senate floor marathon, this time led by Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
Merkley has been speaking on the Senate floor about the President Donald Trump’s “growing authoritarianism” since 6:24 p.m. Tuesday with no indication that he’ll end any time soon. He’s been standing in front of a lectern at his desk for the entirety of the time.
He began the night standing next to a poster board that said, “Ring the alarm bells: Authoritarianism is here now.”
Merkley is still short of eclipsing the 25 hour, 5 minute record set earlier this year by Sen. Cory Booker. In similar fashion to Booker’s record-breaking speech, Merkley is occasionally yielding for questions from his fellow Democratic colleagues, allowing them to give small mini speeches while Merkley still technically holds the floor.
The shutdown entered its 22nd day on Wednesday with no movement toward a deal that would fund the government.
The Senate could vote for the 12th time on the short-term, clean funding bill that was passed by the House, but no votes can be called as long as Merkley holds the floor.
All 11 previous votes on the continuing resolution have failed.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Trump shouldn’t leave on his Asia trip on Friday without first negotiating with Democrats on funding, but Trump said he won’t meet with Democratic leadership until the government is reopened.
ABC News’ Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Tuesday night was a far cry from the shell-shocked scenes in Democrats’ election headquarters a year ago this November.
In three key races, for Virginia governor, New Jersey governor and New York City mayor, the party’s nominees drew in huge numbers of the electorate by attacking President Donald Trump and offering plans to tackle what exit polls showed was voters’ top concern: affordability.
The Democratic wins come as Trump and Republicans have seen sinking approval ratings 10 months into his second term.
Here are some of the key takeaways from Tuesday’s election — one year to the 2026 midterms:
Democrats turn the tide The national spotlight was on Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, Mikie Sherrill, in New Jersey and Zohran Mamdani in New York City as the first true tests for the Democrats after the party’s punishing defeat in the 2024 nationwide election.
Tuesday’s results showed the party is on the offensive, with all three candidates projected to score sizable wins over their opponents.
“We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our commonwealth over chaos,” Spanbrger said.
It’s the economy, again Preliminary exit poll data compiled by ABC News in the three races showed that the majority of Americans were concerned about the cost of living.
Nearly half of Virginia voters said that the economy was the most important issue facing the commonwealth.
In New Jersey, six in 10 voters said that the economy in the state was doing “not so good” or “poor,” while about four in 10 said it was “excellent” or “good.”
More than half of voters in New York City said the cost of living was the most important issue they faced.
Spanberger, Sherrill and Mamdani all campaigned with affordability as the main focus.
Although each candidate has different proposals to lower costs — with Mamdani being the most vocal with raising the tax rate on the wealthiest to pay for services such as child care — voters in huge numbers were attracted to their messages.
Voters are not happy with the state of the country Just as with last year’s elections, where nearly every Democratic led state shifted red, voters appeared to want change from the status quo.
A large majority of voters who said they were angry supported Sherrill, saying they were unhappy with how things were going on in the country. New Jersey has never elected a governor from the same party in three cycles in a row.
Record turnout helps propel Mamdani More than 2 million voters turned out Tuesday in New York City, the first time a mayoral election crossed that threshold since 1969.
Mamdani collected over 1.03 million votes as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, which is larger than the population of five states, according to U.S. Census figures.
The New York turnout mirrored the increased turnout seen during an off-year election.
Historic wins for Muslim candidates Mamdani and Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi both made history as the first Muslim Americans elected to their respective offices.
Both had faced anti-Islamic attacks from their opponents and critics from around the country.
Wins sends message to Trump Trump got indirectly involved in the three races, especially New York City, as he tried to maintain and grow the GOP’s influence following his win.
The president was particularly tied to the New Jersey race as Republican Jack Ciattarelli vocally embraced and welcomed Trump’s support, despite the president’s low approval ratings.
Sherrill took several opportunities to criticize Trump while looking to tie the president and Ciattarelli tightly together. Mamdani and Spanberger also tied their opponents to Trump’s influence.
Mamdani also addressed Trump directly during his victory speech.
“I have four words for you, turn the volume up,” he mayor-elect said to a roar of supporters’ cheers.
The president reacted angrily to the wins on social media, arguing that the ongoing government shutdown and the fact that he was not on the ballot as the reasons Republicans lost.
