NYC socialist mayoral candidate defends Trump attacks and rent freeze

New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was pressed Tuesday on his pledge to be President Trump’s “worst nightmare” along with his plan to freeze rent, which has been criticized by many landlords in the city. 

“What I’ve said time and again is I will not take a reflexive approach in refusing to speak to any one person, depending on their politics,” Mamdani told Fox News National Correspondent Brian Llenas at a Tuesday press conference when asked about his previous claim that his administration will be Trump’s “worst nightmare” and if that threat rings hollow given the amount of federal power and funding the president yields.

“I am looking to work with anyone so long as it’s to the benefit of New Yorkers,” Mamdani continued. “That’s the distinction between myself and Andrew Cuomo. One of many is that he called Donald Trump not on the question of how can we serve New York City, not on the question of how can we protect this city from these cuts, but rather, how could we work together to subvert the will of Democratic primary voters?”

Llenas followed up by asking how voters can be assured Mamdani won’t be reflexive and can work with the White House, given he is currently on a press tour across the city’s five boroughs specifically attacking Trump.

MAMDANI’S PAST ‘VISCERAL DISDAIN’ FOR POLICE ‘SCARES A LOT OF NEW YORKERS’ FOR GOOD REASON: NYC CRIME EXPERT

“What this tour is reflective of is the fact that Donald Trump is attacking this city,” Mamdani answered. “It’s attacking its people. It’s attacking the very fabric of what we call home. And we’ve spoken about it in a fiscal sense, in terms of what it will mean to steal food…