Sir Sadiq Khan has expressed satisfaction at a significant development for Donald Trump as Democrat Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral race in New York City.
President Trump had publicly supported former governor Andrew Cuomo, labeling Mamdani as a “communist” and even threatening to withhold federal funding from New York in case of Mamdani’s victory. Despite this, Mamdani emerged victorious, defeating Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa to become the city’s first Muslim mayor and the first of South Asian descent.
Sir Sadiq extended his congratulations to Mamdani, who is set to become the youngest mayor of New York in over a century when he assumes office on January 1, hailing his campaign as “historic.”
In a statement, Sir Sadiq highlighted the choice New Yorkers faced between “hope and fear,” drawing parallels to the triumph of hope in London.
This backing from Sir Sadiq follows a longstanding feud between him and President Trump, dating back to 2015 when the London mayor criticized Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US.
In his victory speech, Mamdani took a stand against Trump, urging him to “turn the volume up” to hear the resounding cheers from his supporters.
The election witnessed the highest voter turnout in over 50 years, with more than two million ballots cast, according to the city’s Board of Elections.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, when asked about Mamdani’s win, mentioned not closely monitoring American politics.
