Trump says he may arrest Zohran Mamdani if he does not comply with ICE

President Trump said on Tuesday that he would have Zohran Mamdani arrested if the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor refuses to allow federal immigration authorities to detain undocumented immigrants in the city.

The big picture: Trump has continued to attack Mamdani, repeatedly calling him a communist and threatening to cut off federal funding if Mamdani wins the mayoral race.

Zoom in: During his recent acceptance speech, Mamdani pledged to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from detaining immigrants in the city, saying he would "stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors."

When asked about Mamdani’s remarks at a press briefing Tuesday, Trump responded, “Well then, we'll have to arrest him.”

What he’s saying: “We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,” Trump said.

“We send him money,” he added. “We send him all the things that he needs to run a government.”

Mamdani’s team did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.