'Turn the volume up': Mamdani addresses Trump directly after being elected N.Y.C. mayor
Zohran Mamdani used his victory speech after being elected mayor of New York City to speak directly to Donald Trump.
“After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said late Tuesday night. “And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”
The U.S. president has been an outspoken critic of Mamdani, threatening to pull federal funding from the city if Mamdani won and saying that there was no chance of success with a “communist” like him in charge.
Mamdani was declared the winner of the mayoral race not long after polls closed at 9 p.m. ET. He had garnered 50.4 per cent of the votes. More than two million voters took part in the mayoral election, the largest turnout since 1969, the New York City Board of Elections said . Mamdani will be sworn in as mayor on Jan. 1.
In his victory speech, Mamdani thanked the city, its residents and campaign volunteers for his win. He repeated promises he made on the campaign trail about tackling the cost of living, mental health and homelessness crises. But he also used his moment in the spotlight to address Trump.
Mamdani: So Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up. pic.twitter.com/HE2Pr7EFgh
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 5, 2025
“So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” he said.
“We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks. We will stand alongside unions and expand labor protections because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have ironclad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed.”
New York City would remain a city of immigrants, Mamdani said, adding that after his win, it would also be “led by an immigrant.”
“So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” he said.
Mamdani, 34, was born in Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was seven years old. “I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” he said on Tuesday night.
Trump posted on Truth Social around the time of Mamdani’s speech. “…AND SO IT BEGINS!” the president wrote.
Before the win, on Tuesday morning, Trump said Mamdani was a “Jew hater” and any Jewish person who votes for him is “stupid.” Members of New York’s Jewish community have called out Mamdani for accusing Israel of genocide and for refusing to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which encourages violence against Israelis and Jews. More than a thousand rabbis signed a letter against his candidacy. New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Mamdani briefly addressed antisemitism in his speech. “We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism,” he said.
There were 976 antisemitic incidents in New York City in 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League New York/New Jersey — the highest number out of any American city last year. The group said that the incidents reported already in 2025 — including harassment, vandalism and physical violence — were “alarming.”
After Mamdani’s win, several Jewish groups shared their concerns in a joint statement.
AJC, together with @UJAfedNY, @JCRCNY, @ADL_NYNJ, and the New York Board of Rabbis expresses concern following the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s next mayor.“We cannot ignore that the Mayor-elect holds core beliefs fundamentally at odds with our community’s… pic.twitter.com/i5Uf6M9iK6
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) November 5, 2025
“We cannot ignore that the Mayor-elect holds core beliefs fundamentally at odds with our community’s deepest convictions and most cherished values. As we have done for over a century, we will continue to work across every level of government to ensure that our city remains a place where our Jewish community, and all communities, feel safe and respected,” said a statement by the American Jewish Committee, the UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Anti-Defamation League New York/New Jersey and the New York Board of Rabbis.
“We will hold all elected officials, including Mayor-elect Mamdani, fully accountable for ensuring that New York remains a place where Jewish life and support for Israel are protected and can thrive. We will continue to confront, without hesitation, the alarming rise in antisemitism and hate crimes, and loudly call out any rhetoric or actions that delegitimize Israel or excuse antisemitism.”
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