Zohran Mamdani shrugged off President Trump's attacks on him and denied he's a communist during a Sunday interview in which the progressive New York City mayoral candidate said he doesn't think there should be billionaires.

Why it matters: Trump in an interview on Sunday doubled down in his assertion that Mamdani is a communist and said the likely Democratic primary winner must "do the right thing" if he's elected mayor of NYC or else he'll withhold federal funding.

  • "I can't imagine it, but let's say this, if he does get in I'm going to be president and he is going to have to do the right thing, but they're not getting any money. He's got to do the right thing," Trump said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures."
  • "Whoever's mayor of New York is going to have to behave themselves or the federal government is coming down very tough on them financially."

What he's saying: Mamdani said on NBC News' "Meet the Press" he's "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."

  • He added, "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."

Of note: Asked whether billionaires should exist, Mamdani said, "I don't think 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."

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