Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, Zohran Mamdani, on Thursday criticized US President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful law,” calling it “one of the biggest rip-offs in US history.”
In a series of posts on X, Mamdani accused Trump and Republican lawmakers of prioritizing the interests of billionaires while ignoring the needs of working families.
“The spoils of this rip-off are trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the richest one percent – a massive upward transfer of wealth to the people who need it the least. That’s why billionaires spend so much money on our elections,” he said.
Mamdani denounced the law as a massive transfer of wealth to the richest one percent, saying it “steals from the hungry” by cutting food assistance for 40 million people, including “one in five children.”
He said it also “steals from our future” by cutting investment in renewable energy.
The remarks come after rising tensions with Trump, who said Wednesday he would not allow Mamdani to “destroy” New York City and threatened to arrest him if the candidate disrupted federal immigration efforts.
In response, Mamdani said Trump’s comments were not only “an attack on our democracy” but also a warning to any New Yorker who refuses to remain silent, accusing the president of using “scare tactics.”
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill on Thursday, sending it to President Trump for his signature.
The bill, which is expected to add $3.4 trillion to the national debt, secures key domestic goals for the Trump administration.
As he left Washington for Iowa, Trump praised House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, calling the bill “the greatest bill of its kind ever signed” and saying it would “turn this country into a rocket ship.”
He announced plans to sign the bill on Friday at 5 p.m. local time, adding, “We’re going to have B-2s, F-22s and F-35s flying over the White House … so we’re going to be signing with those beautiful planes flying over our heads.”
