UNITED NATIONS, Jan 04 (APP): Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim to lead New York City, on Saturday said he told President Donald Trump directly that he opposed the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, said he spoke with President Trump on the phone Saturday after being briefed on Maduro’s capture and arrival in New York to be prosecuted on narco-terrorism charges.
“I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act,” Mamdani said, “and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law, and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day.”
The mayor, on just his third day in office, was asked about the U.S. military strike in Venezuela during an unrelated news conference in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a borough of Ne York City
He did not mention what the President Trump’s response was.
“I registered my opposition. I made it clear and we left it at that,” Mamdani said.
Mayor Mamdani released a more detailed statement on X.
“I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City. Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law. This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home. My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance,” the mayor’s statement said.
Mamdani’s relationship with President Trump made headlines when the two held a surprisingly cordial, and at times complimentary, news conference in the Oval Office weeks after his election.
Mamdani and President Trump, who both have roots in Queens, also a borough of New York City, sparred fiercely during the campaign. The president repeatedly called Mamdani a “communist,” while Mamdani referred to the president as a “despot.”
But tone shifted at the White House as the two leaders said after their meeting that they hoped to work together to help New Yorkers on issues like reducing crime and bringing down rent.