New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he told President Trump directly that he opposed the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Mamdani said he spoke with Mr. Trump on the phone Saturday after being briefed on Maduro’s capture and arrival in New York to be prosecuted on narco-terrorism charges. The mayor, on just his third day in office, was asked about the U.S. military strike in Venezuela during an unrelated news conference in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Mayor Mamdani released a more detailed statement earlier on Twitter:
Most newly elected officials spend their first week focused on transition meetings and ceremonial duties, but Mamdani found himself thrust into international diplomacy after being briefed on Maduro’s capture by US special forces.
During the phone conversation, Mamdani expressed deep concerns about the safety of Venezuelan communities living throughout New York City. The mayor warned Trump that unilateral military actions against sovereign nations could create dangerous ripple effects for immigrant communities in America’s largest city. The mayor’s criticism extended beyond immediate safety concerns to broader questions of legal authority and international law. He specifically challenged the administration’s legal justification for conducting military operations abroad without congressional authorization.