President Donald Trump offered his support to Andrew Cuomo ahead of New York City’s mayoral election, though he made clear his reservations.
In an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, Trump called Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani “far worse than a socialist” and said he would prefer to see Cuomo prevail. The president also suggested he would halt federal funding to the city if Mamdani is elected.
“I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other,” Trump said. “But if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.”
Mamdani later mocked Trump’s comments on Cuomo, the former New York governor who is running as an independent.
“Congratulations, @AndrewCuomo,” Mamdani wrote in a post on X. “I know how hard you worked for this.”
A spokesperson for Cuomo’s campaign said Trump’s comments were “stream of consciousness” and not an endorsement.
“I have not had a conversation, nor would I accept an endorsement from President Trump,” Cuomo told NBC News in early October.
Voters on Tuesday will decide who succeeds Eric Adams as New York City’s next mayor.
Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, currently holds a double-digit lead over Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in most polls, according to the New York Times’ election tracker. Cuomo owned a significant polling advantage heading into June’s Democratic primary, but Mamdani won the ranked-choice election in a stunning upset.
Trump has previously warned that he would deploy the National Guard and withhold federal funds from New York City if Mamdani is elected mayor. The president reiterated those threats in Sunday’s “60 Minutes” interview.
“It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump said.
Cuomo on Monday alluded to Trump’s threats against New York City, positioning himself as the only candidate able to “stop him.”
“If you want President Trump to try to take over the city – national guard on streets, choking federal funding – vote for @ZohranKMamdani because Trump just said he will be coming and this poser @ZohranKMamdani won’t be able to stop him,“ Cuomo said in a post on X. ”That is a fact. The next Mayor has to be able to get us more, not ensure our demise. I am the only person in this race who can do that.”
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