Trump’s Threat to Jail Foes Darkens, Prompting Epic Retort from Zohran
As New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani responds sharply to Trump’s threats against him, David Bier explains what it would look like if Trump acts on those threats—and why we’re all at risk.
This week, President Donald Trump issued many angry threats against Zohran Mamdani, the underdog winner of New York Democratic mayoral primary. Trump has been attacking Mamdani, a state assemblyman, as a “Communist,” threatening to arrest him along with other foes, and questioning Mamdani’s U.S. citizenship—hinting at a possible effort to try to strip his citizenship away. What caught our eye is Mamdani’s response: It was sharply worded, illuminated the real stakes in this battle in a novel way, and effectively declared that the threat posed by Trump’s secret police to immigrants actually threatens us all. Democrats should learn from this, because Trump’s threats to denaturalize foes may soon become real. We talked to David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. He explains what Trump would need to do to denaturalize Mamdani and other political opponents, what liberals and Democrats be preparing for right now, and why basic freedoms are hanging in the balance—for all of us. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
The Grand Opening of an American Concentration Camp
What were you doing the day the president attended the opening of an American concentration camp in the Everglades? Dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Republican officials because of the predators living in the surrounding swampland, it has been built to cage thousands of people rounded up by ICE and allied law enfo…
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As a centrist Democrat and staunch opponent of Trump’s authoritarianism, I agree entirely that denaturalization threats are chilling and must be taken seriously. But let’s be clear: Zohran Mamdani is not the ideal face of democratic resistance. His radicalism—on policing, immigration, and economic policy—is far out of step with most Americans, including many legal immigrants who don’t see ICE as “terrorists."
Mamdani’s response to Trump may read as “brave,” but it’s also self-serving and ideologically rigid. His entire political posture reinforces the GOP narrative that the Democratic Party is captive to the far left. That’s a gift to Trump.
If we’re serious about defending the rule of law, civil liberties, and constitutional democracy, we need to focus on principles, not personalities. The threat Trump poses is real. But rallying behind someone like Mamdani risks further alienating the moderate and working-class voters who are essential to defeating Trumpism.
Defend rights—but choose better champions.
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