Topline<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump encouraged voters to back former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in tomorrow\u2019s New York City mayoral election, making the endorsement hours after Tesla chief Elon Musk did the same in a last-minute push against Democratic New York State assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the White House on Sunday after taking off from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Corum\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Trump said in a Truth Social post<\/a>, \u201cWhether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,\u201d adding, \u201cYou must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job.\u201d<\/p>\n The Republican president said he would rather see Cuomo, a former Democratic candidate running as an independent, win the election than Mamdani, whom Trump called a \u201ccommunist with no experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also framed a vote for Republican nominee and radio talk show host Curits Sliwa as a vote for Mamdani.<\/p>\n Musk urged his followers to \u201cVOTE CUOMO!\u201d and also said a vote for Sliwa \u201cis really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is,\u201d satirically referring to Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.<\/p>\n Musk, who is usually outspoken about political matters, had been relatively quiet about the New York City mayoral race and Mamdani, the Democratic nominee whom he called \u201cthe future of the Democratic Party\u201d in a tweet<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n The comments come as Mamdani leads Cuomo and Sliwa in the vast majority of polls, many of which he holds a double-digit lead in, according to The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Musk endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election and has typically thrown his support behind Republican candidates since then.<\/p>\n What Other Billionaires Have Opposed Mamdani?<\/p>\n Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, who have been directly called out by Mamdani, have tried to rally against the 34-year-old candidate, with the former throwing $1.75 million into political groups opposing Mamdani and the latter contributing $750,000. At least 26 billionaires have contributed $100,000 or more into supporting Cuomo, according to a Forbes analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Mamdani won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June, defeating Cuomo with 56% of the vote. Some of Mamdani\u2019s key campaign issues include housing affordability, social programs and taxation on corporations and the wealthy, while Cuomo has placed his campaign\u2019s focus on public safety, public housing and education. Mamdani\u2019s platform and democratic socialist ties has received scrutiny from Trump, who told \u201c60 Minutes\u201d it would be \u201chard<\/a>\u201d to earmark money for New York City because \u201cif you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.\u201d Trump doubled down on his statement Monday, saying, \u201cit is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required\u201d to New York City if Mamdani wins. However, Mamdani\u2019s agenda is popular among progressive Democrats and young voters<\/a>, who have taken to his proposed affordability policies, one of which includes a rent freeze<\/a> for rent-stabilized apartments.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n