Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani responds to President Trump’s characterization of him as a “communist” during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

KRISTEN WELKER: All right. You are a self-described Democratic socialist. Do you think that billionaires have a right to exist? ZOHRAN MAMDANI: I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality. And ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country. And I look forward to work with everyone, including billionaires, to make a city that is fairer for all of them. KRISTEN WELKER: Well, let me ask you about what Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has had to say. He’s had a lot to say about your campaign. He called you a communist. Because he’s the president, I want to give you a chance to respond directly to him. How do you respond? Are you a communist? ZOHRAN MAMDANI: No, I am not. And I have already had to start to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I’m from, who I am, ultimately because he wants to distract from what I’m fighting for. I’m fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower, that he has since then betrayed. And when we talk about my politics, I call myself a Democrat socialist in many ways inspired by the words of Dr. King from decades ago who said, “Call it democracy or call it democratic socialism. There has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children in this country.” And as income inequality has declined nationwide, it has increased in New York City. And ultimately, what we need, is a city where every single person can thrive.

Here’s the full interview:
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