The exchange underscores a larger national debate over the scope of federal authority to deploy military forces in U.S. cities.
Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was asked if he feels he could go to-to-toe with President Donald Trump over potential deployments of National Guard troops, in an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Wednesday night.Why It Matters
The surge by Mamdani, a state assemblyman, to become the potential face of the Democratic Party in The Big Apple has intensified debate over what the future direction of the party as a whole could look like, as his platform sharply differs from those more centrist and aligned with the establishment.
Mamdani has taken a more aggressive approach than many traditional Democrats—who have historically championed incremental reform and avoided expansive tax policies targeting high earners.
The mayoral front-runner has framed his campaign around affordability, housing justice and public investment in services like free child care, city-owned grocery stores and public transportation.What To Know
During the interview on the eponymous All In with Chris Hayes, Mamdani was asked if he could go toe-to-toe with Trump over National Guard deployments if elected to steer The City That Never Sleeps.
“Let’s take the example of California, when Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to California, one of the key ways in which they responded was working together with the mayor of LA, the governor of California, the attorney general, all coming together to file a lawsuit that a judge just yesterday found that that deployment was illegal”, Mamdani told Hayes.
“Can you imagine Andrew Cuomo working with the attorney general of this state, whose endorsement I am proud to have—Tish James, the governor, Kathy Hochul, to work together to fight Donald Trump, when he’s spoken to Donald Trump more than he’s spoken to Kathy Hochul over the course of this race?” Mamdani added.
