New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani urged President Donald Trump on Friday to redirect U.S. tax dollars away from what he called “endless wars,” stressing that many New Yorkers oppose continued U.S. support for Israel’s military onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

“When I spoke to New Yorkers who had voted for the president last November on Hillside Avenue and Fordham Road, I asked them why? I heard again and again two major reasons. One was that they wanted an end to forever wars … and they wanted to address the cost-of-living crisis,” Mamdani said after meeting Trump in the Oval Office.

Pressed by reporters about his earlier statements regarding U.S. complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza, Mamdani did not waver. “I’ve spoken about the Israeli government committing genocide, and I’ve spoken about our government funding it,” he said, reiterating his stance that U.S. aid has enabled mass civilian suffering in the besieged enclave.

He emphasized that New Yorkers want their tax dollars “to go towards the benefit of New Yorkers and their ability to afford basic dignity,” rather than fueling wars abroad—particularly a conflict that has drawn global condemnation.

Mamdani has been one of the most outspoken U.S. elected officials on Gaza. Earlier this week, he publicly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just hours after outgoing Mayor Eric Adams met with the Israeli leader and encouraged him to attend Mamdani’s upcoming inauguration.

His comments came against the backdrop of international legal scrutiny. Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of using starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza and committing crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution.

Appearing live on ABC7, Mamdani said Adams’ meeting with Netanyahu highlighted a misplaced focus on foreign political symbolism while Gaza faces catastrophic humanitarian conditions. New Yorkers, he said, “are desperate for an administration” focused on their real needs but also committed to principles of global justice.

“Being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law,” he said. “That means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they're for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.”

Since October 2023, the Israeli military’s war on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of nearly 70,000 people, the vast majority of whom are women and children. More than 170,000 people have been injured, while the enclave has been devastated, with homes, schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure reduced to rubble. This unprecedented level of destruction has left the population in a state of humanitarian crisis, with widespread displacement, severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies, and the collapse of essential services.

Mamdani, 34, who will become the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of New York City, has repeatedly framed Gaza not only as a foreign-policy issue but as a moral litmus test for U.S. institutions, and for the city he is about to lead.