He wants to distract from his war: Zohran Mamdani hits back at Trump as verbal clash escalates
New York: The political showdown between U.S. President Donald Trump and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani intensified on Wednesday, with Mamdani hitting back hard in a video that's now going viral across social media platforms.
The 33-year-old Democratic nominee accused President Trump of targeting him in order to divert public attention from his ongoing military conflict. "Yesterday, Donald Trump said that I should be arrested, that I should be deported, that I should be de-naturalised," Mamdani said in the video. “He said those things about me — someone who stands to be the first immigrant mayor of this city in generations, the first Muslim and the first South Asian mayor in New York’s history.”
“It’s less about who I am and more about what I fight for,” he continued. “He wants to distract the nation from the issues I represent — the struggles of working-class people who’ve been priced out of this city.”
Mamdani, a New York State Assembly member and democratic socialist, shot to national prominence after defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. He has become a key target for Republicans, especially after vowing to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in New York.
President Trump, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, called Mamdani a “Communist Lunatic” and claimed he would prevent him from “destroying” the city. “I hold all the levers and have all the cards,” Trump wrote. “I’ll save New York City and make it 'Hot' and 'Great' again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”
In his rebuttal, Mamdani criticized Trump’s proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” describing it as legislation that “will steal food from the hungry” and deepen economic inequality. “This bill is yet another massive wealth transfer, just like we saw during his first term,” he said.
The verbal duel comes amid rising tensions in the national political landscape, with Mamdani positioning himself as a progressive voice for marginalized communities. “I fight for working people,” he said. “I fight for the same people Trump once claimed he would help — but instead, he has betrayed them.”
Born in Uganda to renowned Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair and Indo-Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani, Zohran Mamdani made history as the first South Asian and Ugandan-born person to serve in the New York State Assembly. He is only the third Muslim ever elected to the body.
As the 2025 New York mayoral race heats up, the confrontation between Mamdani and Trump is fast becoming a defining flashpoint in the national debate over immigration, economic justice, and the future of American cities.
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Dangerous explosives found outside Kerala school
Palakkad (PTI): Explosives found outside a school compound in Vadakanthara in this district on Wednesday were confirmed to be of a dangerous nature, according to the First Information Report (FIR).
The explosives were found on Wednesday evening when a student threw one of the devices--which are suspected to be used for eliminating wild boar--resulting in an explosion, causing minor injuries to both himself and an elderly woman nearby, police said.
The FIR states that Narayanan, a 10-year-old student, discovered the explosives near the gate of the Vyasa Vidhya Peedom pre-primary school compound in Vadakanthara at around 3.45 pm.
Excited over the discovery, he threw one of the explosives to the ground, which then exploded with a loud sound, injuring himself and 84-year-old Leela, who was standing nearby.
School authorities and residents rushed to the scene and called the police who searched the place and found four more explosives in a bucket.
The injured were taken to the hospital, and their condition is stable, said police sources.
Palakkad North police have registered a case under section 3(a) (causing an explosion that is likely to endanger life), section 4(a) (keeping explosives with an intention to endanger life and property) of the Explosive Substance Act, and section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act that deals with cruelty to children.
The FIR of the case stated that explosives were of a dangerous nature and were kept at the place to endanger human life.
A team led by a DySP-ranked officer is investigating the case.
According to police, CCTV cameras in the area have been recovered as part of the investigation, and attempts are being made to identify people who kept explosives near the school compound.
BJP district leaders alleged a major conspiracy behind the incident and demanded a thorough probe.
CPI(M) leaders alleged that the school management is affiliated with RSS, and there is training given to volunteers in the area.
Congress has also called for a detailed probe into the incident.
