The battle for New York

A fight is brewing between Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani.

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Two skilful politicians with radical plans are about to be unleashed on America's largest city.

On Nov 4, Mr Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old leftist, is all but assured to win New York's election for mayor, with the promise of new social programmes paid for by the rich.

Mr Donald Trump, America's 79-year-old president, says he will "straighten out" New York shortly thereafter, with threats to deploy more federal agents and withhold crucial federal funds.

Mr Mamdani's proposals make for terrible public policy. Mr Trump's plans are a more literal threat to New Yorkers and, possibly, the law. The President has talked about an escalation of immigration enforcement, bringing to his home town the aggressive tactics he has tested in Chicago and other Democrat-run cities. The two men are set for a dramatic clash, with New York as its stage and victim.

The battle for New York matters, and not just for New Yorkers. The city remains a crucial economic engine for America, home to more corporate headquarters than any other place in the country.

It is the centre of finance, professional services and media, as well as a growing tech hub and a powerhouse of medical research. The result is a metropolitan area with an economy of more than US$2.3 trillion (S$2.9 trillion), bigger than that of Canada and representing about 9 per cent of America's total.

The city is a locus of political power, too. Operatives obsess over the voting patterns of swing counties like Maricopa, in Arizona, rather than deeply Democratic Manhattan. But New York has a different kind of clout. Its donors give more to federal campaigns than those of any other city except greater Washington.