The coming months will test the limits of the New York governor’s ability to work alongside a fickle president who is detested by fellow Democrats, with her 2026 reelection potentially at stake. Mamdani’s base will press Hochul to give him left-leaning victories, like a tax increase on rich New Yorkers that the governor opposes. If that’s not enough pressure, Trump has made clear he’ll exert his power over the city if Mamdani wins.