Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, pointedly explained why he thinks President Donald Trump has levied attacks on his citizenship and threatened to arrest him in recent days. Trump simply needs a distraction, Mamdani argued in a press conference with New York City labor leaders on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump has a new political foil: New York ’s Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani. The president, who has a history of spewing sometimes vile insults at rivals, has in recent days escalated his attacks against the 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist.