US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States had “lost a little bit of sovereignty” after the election victory of 34‑year‑old Democrat Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor.

Speaking at the America Business Forum in Miami, Trump framed the comment in the context of US governance and national priorities.

“We've done a lot. On November 5, 2024, the American people reclaimed our government. We restored our sovereignty. We lost a little bit of sovereignty last night in New York, but we'll take care of it,” Trump said at the America Business Forum in Miami.

Mamdani, who identifies as a “democratic socialist,” advocates measures such as affordable grocery stores, rent freezes on certain housing, and fare‑free buses. The city’s election commission reported voter turnout surpassed 2 million, the highest since 1969. Despite his mayoral win, Mamdani remains ineligible to run for the US presidency because he was born in Uganda.

Trump skips G20 over South Africa membership

Also addressing international forums, Trump said he would not attend the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa and questioned the country’s membership in the grouping.

“We have a G20 meeting in South Africa. South Africa shouldn't even be in the G's anymore, because what's happened there is bad ... I'm not going to represent our country there. It shouldn't be there,” he told the forum.

Innovation framing: Economic and tech priorities

Taken together, Trump’s remarks at the America Business Forum underline a broader political message: a preference for aligning US domestic and international engagement with a market‑driven, security‑focused agenda.

For business and technology stakeholders, the comments underscore an ongoing debate about how US cities and global forums should prioritize innovation, economic competitiveness, and governance, from urban policy experiments in New York to international tech and trade cooperation at summits like the G20.

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