American actor Jon Voight has ignited fresh controversy by publicly urging President Donald Trump to overturn the results of New York City’s mayoral election after Zohran Mamdani’s victory. In a two-minute video posted on social media, Voight — who primarily resides in Beverly Hills — demanded that Trump “terminate” the outcome, portraying Mamdani’s win as an existential threat to the city’s character, its economy, and its political direction.
Voight, now 86, currently holds the honorary title of “special ambassador to Hollywood,” a position created by Trump during his second term. Using this platform, he declared that only Trump possessed the authority to reverse the election — even though no legal or constitutional mechanism allows a US president to remove a locally elected mayor. Standing before a large American flag, Voight claimed that New Yorkers were in imminent danger because of Mamdani’s ideology.
Throughout the video, Voight employed inflammatory, Islamophobic language, insisting that Mamdani would transform New York into “a virtual refugee shelter for radical Muslim ideology.” He painted the mayor-elect as an extremist and repeatedly called him a “communist,” despite Mamdani identifying as a democratic socialist. Voight argued that Mamdani’s administration would threaten private property, undermine business owners, and dismantle the values on which he believes the city was built.
Voight described the situation as “the most dangerous time for our citizens,” asserting that the incoming mayor had “no right dictating the rules of socialism” to millions of residents. He urged New Yorkers to “demand their rights” and characterised Mamdani’s leadership as an attack on prosperity, wealth, and the security of homeowners and business operators. Voight framed himself as a defender of traditional American values, warning that the city was on the brink of destruction under Mamdani’s leadership.
Despite these dramatic claims, Voight’s demand has no legal grounding. Under US law, the president has no authority to intervene in municipal elections or cancel the results of a democratic vote conducted under state jurisdiction. Mamdani, who defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo — running as an Independent after his loss in the Democratic primary — won a clear majority and is scheduled to take office on January 1. Voight’s call, therefore, amounts to a political plea rather than a viable constitutional action, highlighting deepening divisions over Mamdani’s rise and the broader ideological shifts in American urban politics.
