Trump threatens to cut billions in NYC funding over Little Italy map omission: ‘It’s a disgrace’
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump warned that New York City could lose billions in federal funding unless Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration addressed the omission of Little Italy from a city map highlighting immigrant neighborhoods.
During a Columbus Day event at the White House, Trump criticized city officials for including neighborhoods such as Little Senegal, Little Guyana, Little Haiti and Little Yemen while leaving out Little Italy. He called the omission unthinkable and threatened to withhold federal money if the city did not make changes.
Trump threatens NYC funding over Little Italy map omission
Trump made the remarks while addressing the Italian-American community during the White House celebration, linking the missing neighborhood to what he portrayed as an effort to erase the group's place in New York City.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump announces he will WITHHOLD BILLIONS OF FEDERAL DOLLARS from NYC Mayor Mamdani unless he honors the Italian-American community "Little Senegal, Haiti, Guyana, Yemen covered...IT'S A DISGRACE. We are gonna work on that immediately or we're not gonna be sending them any of the billions of dollars that they want to waste!" "It does not include a place called Little Italy, an unthinkable omission for New York City." Mamdani should NOT get a free pass for trying to obstruct immigration enforcement either! He's just last night trying to get ICE frozen in NYC. Mamdani hates Italian-Americans, he hates AMERICAN CITIZENS, and wants foreigners first.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 9, 2026
“New York City officials recently released a map showing ethnic communities in our nation's largest city, and their map includes Little Senegal, Little Guyana, Little Haiti, Little Yemen, but it does not include a place called Little Italy, an unthinkable omission for New York City,” Trump said.
“I think it's a disgrace,” he added.
The president also alleged that the omission reflected hostility toward Italian Americans, declaring: “Those who hate our country want to see the Italian American community erased,” Trump said.
“We are going to work on that immediately, or we're not going to be sending them any of the billions and billions of dollars that they want to waste all the time,” he added.
The dispute centered on a tourism guide for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that featured a map showcasing 30 immigrant neighborhoods in New York City. The map included Little Senegal, Little Guyana, Little Haiti and Little Yemen but left out Little Italy.
The omission sparked debate, with Trump criticizing the city and putting pressure on Mamdani's administration to make changes. However, the omission alone did not establish that Italian Americans had been deliberately singled out.
Mamdani had already promised to add Little Italy
Mayor Zohran Mamdani had addressed the omission in July, saying the city would add Little Italy to the map and make further changes to reflect New York City's diverse communities.
Mamdani also pointed out that the guide dated back to 2023 and was not intended to cover every ethnic neighborhood in the city.
“It’s clearly not an exhaustive list of the more than 200 ethnic enclaves. We’re going to be making additional changes in the future to reflect that… including Little Italy,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani Now Making Excuses After Little Italy Backlash! 🇮🇹 After his immigrant enclaves map sparked outrage for leaving out historic Little Italy (plus Jewish and Irish communities), Mayor Zohran Mamdani is walking it back at a press conference. Italians were one of the major immigrant groups that helped build NYC — slighting them like this is ridiculous. He claimed: “It’s clearly not an exhaustive list of the more than 200 ethnic enclaves. We’re going to be making additional changes in the future to reflect that… including Little Italy.” Classic damage control after the backlash hit. Insiders and critics aren’t buying the spin (Video: AI). Do you think this a genuine correction or just political damage control after getting called out?
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) July 10, 2026
New York City has more than 200 ethnic enclaves, while the guide featured only 30. The map was therefore a selective snapshot of the city's immigrant communities rather than a comprehensive inventory.
Despite Mamdani's earlier commitment to update the guide, the omission became a political flashpoint after Trump raised the issue at the White House.
His threat to withhold billions in federal funding added a financial dimension to the dispute, putting pressure on the mayor's administration to follow through on its promised changes.
