NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Trump directly to oppose Maduro’s capture, calling it an “act of war.”
New York City’s youngest mayor in over a century found himself making one of the most consequential phone calls of his brief political career on Saturday morning.
Zohran Mamdani picked up his phone and dialed President Donald Trump directly to voice his fierce opposition to the military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The conversation marked a dramatic shift in the relationship between the two leaders, who seemed to become instant besties after Mamdani’s visit to the White House in December.
Mamdani wasted no time getting to the point during the Saturday call, telling Trump that the overnight military operation in Venezuela constituted “an act of war” and represented a “blatant pursuit of regime change.”
The timing of the call was particularly striking, coming just three days after Mamdani took his oath of office as mayor.
I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City.
Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 3, 2026
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.
Following the phone call, Mamdani took his concerns public through a detailed statement posted on X.
The statement outlined his position that military interventions designed to remove foreign leaders represent dangerous precedents that undermine global stability and democratic principles.
The Venezuelan president and his wife were transported to New York City to face federal narco-terrorism charges, bringing the international controversy directly into Mamdani’s jurisdiction.
This development added urgency to the mayor’s concerns about community safety and the potential for civil unrest or targeted harassment of Venezuelan residents.
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