Latest news with #MAGA-aligned
Politico
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
New York Dems line up to defend Mamdani from Trump — even if they don't endorse him
The president began lashing out at Mamdani the day after the June 24 primary. He's since labeled Mamdani a 'communist' and questioned his citizenship status, with some MAGA-aligned commentators attacking the Muslim candidate's faith. Mamdani — who was born to Indian parents in Uganda — was naturalized as an American citizen in 2018. Now, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have in recent days pushed back on broadsides from the president, a former New Yorker. 'I don't care if you're the President of the United States, if you threaten to unlawfully go after one of our neighbors, you're picking a fight with 20 million New Yorkers — starting with me,' Hochul wrote in a post on X Tuesday, alongside a video of Trump implying Mamdani could be in the country illegally. Trump continued his tirade against Mamdani on Wednesday. 'As President of the United States, I'm not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York. Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'I'll save New York City, and make it 'Hot' and 'Great' again, just like I did with the Good Ol' USA! Trump's post prompted a response from Jeffries, who on Sunday said he wasn't ready to back the candidate. 'Stop lying about Assemblyman Mamdani,' Jeffries wrote on X Wednesday. 'He is neither a communist nor a lunatic. And New York City doesn't need to be saved by a wannabe King. Besides, you are too busy destroying America with your One Big Ugly Bill to do anything else.' The White House acknowledged a request for comment on the pushback but did not immediately provide one. Mamdani has also cast the attacks from Trump as both a distraction from his message and a foreboding sign for how Trump is treating immigrants. 'He said that I should be deported, he said that I should be denaturalized, and he said those things about me — someone who stands to be the first immigrant mayor of this city in generations, someone who would also be the first Muslim and the first South Asian mayor in this city's history — less so because of who I am, because of where I come from, because of how I look or how I speak, and more so because he wants to distract from what I fight for,' he said at a Wednesday labor rally in Manhattan.
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump praises Mayor Adams' re-election bid — and threatens Zohran Mamdani with arrest if he interferes with ICE
President Donald Trump praised New York City Mayor Eric Adams' re-election campaign Tuesday – as he threatened Democratic socialist and mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani with arrest if he interferes with ICE. Trump, speaking at the so-called 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center in Florida, called the increasingly MAGA-aligned Adams a 'very good person.' 'I helped him out a little bit,' Trump said, alluding to the Department of Justice's controversial move to dismiss Adams' federal corruption case. 'He had a problem, and he was unfairly hurt over this question. 'That was a Biden indictment. I said, 'Don't feel bad. I got indicted five times.'' Adams faced corruption and bribery charges in what both the mayor and Trump have argued was political retribution for speaking out against former President Joe Biden's border policies. The probe leading to the historic indictment began before Adams' criticism. Trump also continued his recent attacks on Mamdani, saying the socialist firebrand risked jail if he bucked an ongoing immigration crackdown. 'We'll have to arrest' Mamdani if that happens, Trump said. The president also weighed in on the mayoral race, implicitly giving Adams – a Democrat running as an independent – his support. 'You would think that a Republican would be able to win, or you have a good independent running for mayor,' Trump said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
The beast that lurks in Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads President Donald Trump 's high-stakes economic proposal, officially titled the 'One Big Beautiful Bill', has ignited fierce debate in Washington, deepened fractures within the Republican Party , and reawakened a personal feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk . The bill is designed to deliver sweeping tax relief, industrial subsidies and infrastructure investments. But with a projected $3.3 trillion impact on the national debt over the next decade, many Republicans are balking at its fiscal recklessness, while policy experts and political observers warn it could be one of the most destabilising bills in America's modern legislative from unifying the GOP, the bill has exposed deep ideological rifts, raised significant ethical questions, and, in Musk's case, sparked threats of a third party coming up. The political cost of passing this bill may ultimately outweigh any short-term economic stimulus it the center of the controversy is the bill's staggering $3.3 trillion projected cost. Trump has insisted this price tag is justifiable and even necessary, arguing that aggressive federal investment will spur economic growth and rebuild America's crumbling the economic reality is more sobering. Analysts warn that such a debt expansion would require sustained annual GDP growth above 5% to be self-financing, an unlikely outcome given current interest rate trends and global economic slowdowns. Moreover, the Congressional Budget Office has warned of inflationary pressures, higher long-term borrowing costs and reduced fiscal flexibility in future crises. Within the Senate GOP, fiscal hawks see the bill as a betrayal of conservative economic disunity has stalled the bill's advancement and left Senate Republicans locked in a deadlock, with MAGA-aligned loyalists backing the bill unconditionally while traditional conservatives demand significant revisions or outright of the most politically explosive elements of the bill is its deep cuts to social safety net programmes. The most significant of these is a $540 billion reduction in Medicaid funding over the next decade through various proposals. These changes would disproportionately affect low-income Americans, with estimates suggesting that up to 18 million people could lose coverage. Rural hospitals, many of which depend heavily on Medicaid reimbursements, face potential closures, particularly in red states. For a president whose political identity is closely tied to populist messaging, the optics of cutting healthcare access for working-class voters are starkly addition to Medicaid, the bill includes a $150 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and freezes growth or slashes funding for several social programmes. Critics argue that this amounts to a systemic rollback of the post-World War II welfare state, disproportionately harming seniors, veterans, the disabled and working bill also launches a full-scale retreat from federal support for renewable energy and clean technology. Nearly all clean energy subsidies are eliminated, including the Solar Investment Tax Credit , Wind Production Tax Credit, and incentives for electric vehicles and energy-efficient buildings. Trump has described these programs as a woke agenda, but the practical impact of these eliminations is likely to be severe. The US clean energy sector, which employs more than 9 million people, could see mass layoffs and reduced capital investment. In particular, states that have seen recent economic growth from renewables are at risk of economic and business leaders alike warn that these cuts will not only stall domestic decarbonization efforts but also surrender America's competitive edge in a global clean energy race. With China and the European Union doubling down on green technology, critics argue that Trump's policy serves ideological goals while undermining long-term economic core controversy surrounds the bill's $800 billion in subsidies for different industries. These include fossil fuels, defense contractors, domestic manufacturers, and certain artificial intelligence companies. The bill's language is vague, lacking clear criteria or oversight mechanisms for determining subsidy recipients. Watchdog groups have raised red flags about potential cronyism and corruption, while ethics experts warn that the subsidies may violate federal conflict-of-interest standards if Trump's business interests benefit, directly or the bill also contains tax breaks and incentives for industries in which Trump himself has longstanding business ties, particularly real estate and hospitality. These provisions include expanded depreciation allowances for commercial properties, relaxed capital gains rules, and new redevelopment credits for domestic tourism infrastructure. While Trump's team insists that these are meant to revitalize American businesses, critics call it a scheme for if Trump succeeds in muscling the bill through Congress, its long-term consequences may prove politically and economically damaging. Economically, it risks adding unsustainable debt, sparking inflationary cycles, and derailing clean energy growth. Politically, it threatens to alienate key Republican constituencies such as fiscal conservatives, suburban moderates and young perhaps the most dramatic subplot surrounding the bill, Musk has emerged as a fierce opponent. He has threatened to launch a new political entity, positioning himself as a centrist alternative to both Trump-style populism and Democratic progressivism. Musk has lambasted the bill for its elimination of electric vehicle subsidies and exclusion of space-tech ventures from industrial incentives. In a particularly provocative statement, Musk replied to Trump's threat of slashing subsidies to his businesses: "I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now," he wrote on X. While some dismiss Musk's threats as theatrics, his political influence, especially among independents, suburban professionals, and younger libertarians, is real. A third-party bid or even a significant political action committee could siphon support from Trump-aligned Republicans and fragment the conservative base ahead of the 2026 midterms. He has already threatened that he would ensure those Republicans who support the bill lose a president seeking to cement his legacy, " One Big Beautiful Bill " may instead become a lasting source of division, controversy and scrutiny. Rather than uniting the country under a common economic vision, the bill appears to deepen partisan divides, enrich favored industries, and sacrifice long-term stability for short-term spectacle.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Burqa-clad Statue of Liberty? MAGA targets Zohran Mamdani's religion; refers to 9/11
Digitally altered image of State of Liberty ( X/@mtgreenee) and Zohran Mamdani (X/@NancyMace) Prominent MAGA-aligned politicians and commentators launched Islamophobic attacks against Zohran Mamdani after the 33-year-old state lawmaker appeared to win the Democratic primary in the New York City mayoral race after New York governor Andrew Cuomo conceded. If elected, Mamdani would become the first Indian-American and Muslim mayor in New York City's history. US representative Marjorie Taylor Greene shared a post on X featuring a digitally altered image of the Statue of Liberty draped in a black burqa. MAGA supporter Don Keith re-shared the picture shared by Greene captioning it as, "Congratulations New York". Another US representative, Nancy Mace, shared a picture of Mamdani in kurta pajamas, and wrote, "After 9/11 we said "Never Forget." I think we sadly have forgotten." Conservative social media personality Laura Loomer wrote, 'New York City will be destroyed,' Muslims will start 'committing jihad all over New York' and that 'NYC is about to see 9/11 2.0.' '24 years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11,' conservative activist Charlie Kirk posted on X, referencing the number of people killed in New York. 'Now a Muslim Socialist is on pace to run New York City.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo 'New York City has fallen,' Donald Trump Jr. wrote, quoting a post by Michael Malice about when New Yorkers 'endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.' Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, secured 43.5 per cent of the first-choice votes in New York City's ranked-choice voting system. Former governor Andrew Cuomo, who had been considered the frontrunner in the race, conceded to Mamdani on Tuesday night. However, the official results are not expected until early July, as the city's Board of Elections continues to tabulate the ranked-choice ballots. Throughout the primary, some of Mamdani's critics, including a super PAC (political action committee) supporting Cuomo, accused him of either encouraging antisemitism or expressing antisemitic views himself, particularly in relation to his position on Israel. Mamdani has been outspoken in criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza. In a June interview with The Bulwark, he described the phrase 'globalize the intifada' as a call for equality and Palestinian human rights, a remark that drew sharp criticism and highlighted tensions in a city with significant Muslim and Jewish communities. He has consistently rejected accusations of antisemitism, condemning acts of violence against Jews in the United States. 'I've said at every opportunity that there is no room for antisemitism in this city, in this country,' he said at an emotional press conference in the closing days of the race, adding the reason he does not have a more 'visceral reaction' to being labeled that is because it has 'been colored by the fact that when I speak, especially when I speak with emotion, I am then characterized by those same rivals as being a monster.' Mamdani has openly criticized US President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Reacting to his win, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, "It's finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor." "We've had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he's not very smart, he's got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin' Chuck Schumer, is grovelling over him. Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!," he added. Despite the recent backlash, it's worth noting that the original concept for the Statue of Liberty was inspired by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's sketches of veiled Egyptian women. Initially envisioned as a Muslim peasant woman holding a lantern to symbolize progress, the statue was meant for Egypt. After the proposal was rejected, Bartholdi reworked the design into a Roman-style goddess and gifted it to the US from France, symbolizing their alliance during the American and French revolution
Politico
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
MAGA right attacks Zohran Mamdani's religion following his win
Prominent MAGA-aligned commentators launched xenophobic attacks on Zohran Mamdani over the 33-year-old state lawmaker's Muslim religion following his apparent Democratic primary win in the New York City mayoral race. In a series of posts, conservative social media personality Laura Loomer wrote 'New York City will be destroyed,' Muslims will start 'committing jihad all over New York' and that 'NYC is about to see 9/11 2.0.' If elected in November, Mamdani would become the first Muslim mayor in New York City's history. And while many conservatives have criticized Mamdani's progressive policies, others have taken aim at Mamdani for his religion. '24 years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11,' conservative activist Charlie Kirk posted on X, referencing the number of people killed in New York. 'Now a Muslim Socialist is on pace to run New York City.' 'New York City has fallen,' Donald Trump Jr. wrote, quoting a post by Michael Malice about when New Yorkers 'endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.' 'After 9/11 we said 'Never Forget.' I think we sadly have forgotten,' Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) posted on X Wednesday, accompanied by a photo of Mamdani. Mamdani's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the statements. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won 43.5 percent of first-place votes in New York's ranked-choice voting system. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the once-favorite to take the primary, conceded to Mamdani Tuesday night. However, the city board of elections is not expected to finalize results until early July, once ranked-choice votes are tabulated. During the primary some of Mamdani's critics, including a super PAC backing Cuomo, said he either emboldens antisemitism or has himself espoused antisemitic views, in particular over his stance on Israel. He has repeatedly criticized Israel's actions in Gaza, and in a June interview with The Bulwark, Mamdani said the phrase 'globalize the intifada' represented 'a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.' Mamdani drew heavy criticism for the statement, marking a tension point in a primary election in a city with large populations of Muslim and Jewish residents. He has repeatedly pushed back against the antisemitism label, decrying violence against Jews in the country. 'I've said at every opportunity that there is no room for antisemitism in this city, in this country,' he said at an emotional press conference in the closing days of the race, adding the reason he does not have a more 'visceral reaction' to being labeled that is because it has 'been colored by the fact that when I speak, especially when I speak with emotion, I am then characterized by those same rivals as being a monster.' At the same press conference, he said he has faced significant attacks because of his religion. 'I get messages that say, 'The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.' I get threats on my life, on the people that I love. And I try not to talk about it,' he said at that press conference.
