Mayor, Labor, May: Socialist's victory in New York exposed polarization in the United States

The political confrontation in the United States is growing. The population, tired of social problems, goes either to "Trumpism" or to leftist movements. The result of this phenomenon was the election of Democrat Zohran Mamdani, who proclaims himself a socialist, as mayor of New York. Experts call the politician a neo-Trotskyist. Mamdani will take the oath of office in January 2026 and will be the first Muslim mayor in the city's history. Donald Trump promised to suspend federal funding for New York in the event of Mamdani's victory. However, his struggle is unlikely to reach a power scenario, experts say. About how the situation in the United States will develop further, see the Izvestia article.

Muslim migrant becomes mayor of New York

Mayoral elections have been held in the largest city in the United States by population, which is considered almost the center of world trade. Democrat Zohran Mamdani will take over the post of mayor. In other words, federal power in the United States belongs primarily to Republicans, and one of the most influential cities in the United States is now under the control of their main rivals. The Americanist Dmitry Drobnitsky considers the mayor of New York to be a neo-Trotskyist. Zohran Mamdani himself openly calls himself a socialist. And while former Governor Andrew Cuomo lost with 41.6% of the vote, Mamdani's main ideological rival, Republican Curtis Sliva, was far behind with 7.1%.

On the other hand, New York is traditionally democratic, and the victory of a representative of the Democratic party in it is not fantastic. But Mamdani is not just a Democrat. He is not only a socialist, but also a Muslim. Thus, for the first time in history, a Muslim migrant became the mayor of the city. Mamdani openly stated that he had won primarily due to the support of migrants, whom the White House is actively fighting after Donald Trump's return there.

"New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, driven by immigrants and, starting tonight, led by an immigrant," said the winner of the election.

Zohran Mamdani is a politician with Indian roots, he was born in Uganda. When he was seven years old, his family moved to New York. Mamdani graduated in African studies, and in 2015 became involved in the struggle for workers' rights and the protection of citizens' rights in the field of housing policy. He provided assistance to the poor, helping to avoid eviction from apartments that they could not pay for.

Mamdani advocated affordable housing for the poor. The politician joined the Democratic Party faction with an organization called, which speaks for itself: "Democratic Socialists of America." In the summer of 2025, American society was amazed by his victory in the primaries, where he scored a record number of votes. Mamdani will take the oath of office in January 2026.

According to Drobnitsky, neo—Trotskyism is the future of the US Democratic Party, since it is now impossible to wage a political struggle in the United States while remaining in centrist positions. Both the left turn of the Democratic party and the "Trumpism" of the Republicans are a reaction to American problems that have not been solved for years, but simply flooded with money, the expert noted.

Mamdani's victory is a challenge for Trump, who had previously threatened to cut off funding for New York from the federal center if he won. But if Trump stops funding, and the social sphere of the state depends on the center, this will make the president completely unpopular, says corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences Sergey Sudakov.

—And you will see how the entire press will write that Trump is destroying his own citizens and humiliating them,— Sudakov stressed.

Meanwhile, Mamdani will demand an answer to the question of where New Yorkers' money is going and why the federal center is absorbing it, the expert added. After all, it was not religion or origin that brought Mamdani to the post of mayor, but the fact that he raised a social issue.

Mamdani responded to the requests of the people of the United States

The American media recognizes that Mamdani won because he responded to the deep disappointment of the people in the injustice of the system. However, the same emotions contributed to the rise of Donald Trump. Even before his first term, the current US president gave a voice to American workers who felt that the establishment had already forgotten about them.

The problem of poverty, however, has not gone away under Trump. And the voting results in New York perfectly reflect the attitude of the local population towards the president. According to Drobnitsky, the United States is in debt on all social floors. In the United States, it is impossible to live without loans, with the national debt hanging over it like a sword of Damocles. In fact, the United States cannot live on its own money, the expert added.

Dissatisfaction with life "on loan" at all levels results in polarization when the sharply right and sharply left come to power. The people of the United States, tired of centrists who have not solved pressing problems for decades, are becoming radicalized. Some openly support the neo—Trotskyists, which seemed impossible in the United States 30-40 years ago, during the Cold War. Others call for making America great again, a state of large industrialists.

"Trump is especially unpopular in his hometown of New York, and this is exactly what the current elections have reflected," said Jeremy Kuzmarov, editor—in-chief of Covert Action magazine and an American political scientist. — Now Mamdani has a podium from which he will criticize Trump and his policies, as well as suggest a new direction in which the country can move in the future.

After Trump's arrival, the center's relations with some states have worsened. In particular, the president sent troops to Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, and Oregon. The reason is allegedly the fight against illegal migration. But mayors of cities and state governors believe that Trump decided to limit local authorities, and the federal military did not help fight crime, but "trained" on civilians.

Polarization in the United States will increase

Polarization will only intensify in 2026 before the midterm elections, said Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences. However, Trump will not go to the limit in his fight against the Socialists in the United States: to send troops into the city, as he has done in the past with Los Angeles and Chicago. After all, on the eve of the elections, any "tightening of the screws" will only benefit the Democrats. New York has already become democratic.

"This decision [by force] will be interpreted by the Democrats, as they do, that a dictatorship has been established in the United States, a 'bloody despot in power,'" Blokhin said.

Meanwhile, a record-breaking shutdown in the country's history is adding fuel to the fire, one of the most striking episodes in the political life of the United States in recent times. The work of the government stopped on October 1: Congress has been unable to coordinate the financing of government agencies for 36 days. It's all about the differences between Republicans and Democrats over health care costs. Representatives of the Democratic Party insist on increasing them — we are talking about allocating an additional $1.5 trillion (including for Obamacare and Medicaid programs), while Republicans oppose such spending.

According to Konstantin Blokhin, the government shutdown has discredited both parties.: both Democrats and Republicans.

"They defiantly show how they are trying to sort each other out, push each other through, ignoring the interests of ordinary citizens,— Blokhin stressed.

The shutdown in the United States has already become the longest in history. The country is abolishing the system of food stamps, which are used by millions of residents of the United States. Previously, the Soviet Union was seriously criticized for this, but today, according to various estimates, almost one in eight Americans uses food stamps.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, against the background of everything that is happening, publishes footage on social networks as he pours huge amounts of money into the renovation of the White House, clearly not the main problem in the United States. The American leader wants to build a ballroom and renovate Abraham Lincoln's bathroom.