Even though New York City Mayor Eric Adams is fighting an uphill battle to be reelected, President Trump threw his political weight behind the mayor Monday, calling him a "very good person."

Further, Trump branded Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a "communist" and cast doubt on Mamdani's legal citizenship; he also threatened to detain Mamdani if he interferes with immigration enforcement while mayor, as The New York Post reported.

“You have a good independent running: Mayor Adams who is a very good person. I helped him out a little bit. He had a problem and he was unfairly hurt,” Trump said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon about a migrant detention center in Florida.

About the competition

In addition to his scathing criticism, Trump accused Mamdani of being a communist, an accusation he has repeated multiple times since the democratic socialist congressman defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral race. Trump also promised to keep a close eye on Mamdani.

Trump said that "a lot of people are saying he's here illegally" when asked about Mamdani's immigration status, in reference to his promise to oppose federal immigration officials on behalf of immigrant New Yorkers.

Mamdani is, however, widely reported to be a lawful U.S. citizen, but because of his affiliations has lately been the target of Islamophobic insults because of his Muslim beliefs and ethnicity.

He came to the United States in 2018 after having been born in Uganda to Indian parents; he relocated to the Big Apple when he was seven years old.

From Adams

At an unrelated press conference, Adams spoke ot Trump’s comments about Mamdani, saying that it was indeed a local issue, despite the support.

“Anyone that is an elected or not should never interfere with federal authorities carrying out their functions,” Adams said.

“The president makes his determination what he's going to do. I'm not a federal elected official.”

When Trump said he was helping the mayor out, he was referring to the US Department of Justice's request earlier this year to have corruption charges against Adams dismissed. Those charges had been filed against Adams last year, during the Biden administration.

The alliance

Adams had been warming up to Trump before the move by agreeing to collaborate with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, and also not enthusiastically campaigning for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last November's presidential election.

“(Trump’s) statements don’t just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation,” Mamdani said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

Adams didn't dismiss the possibility of seeking Trump's endorsement when a Fox News reporter asked him about it on Monday. Adams said that, "Any New Yorker that wants to vote for me I'm all for."