US President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, but Mamdani is not!”
Trump also threatened to cut federal funding if left-wing front-runner Zohran Mamdani were to come to power. Referring to Mamdani as a communist, Trump said, “It is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!”
The Trump administration has previously attempted to reduce federal funds and grants for projects located in Democratic-run areas.
Mamdani responded by calling Trump’s comments a threat. He rejected the accusation of being a communist and said, according to the BBC, “I will address that threat for what it is: it is a threat. It is not the law.”
Opinion polls indicate that Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, is currently ahead of Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, while Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa trails behind.
If elected, 34-year-old Mamdani would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in over a century. Mamdani has referred to Cuomo as a “puppet and parrot” of Trump.
Cuomo, a long-time critic of Trump, denied that he was receiving the president’s endorsement. “He’s not endorsing me. He’s opposing Mamdani,” Cuomo told the BBC. “I fought Donald Trump. When I am fighting New York, I am not going to stop fighting.”
Trump did not endorse Republican candidate Sliwa, writing instead, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa … is a vote for Mamdani.”
Speaking to CBS, Trump admitted he was not a fan of Cuomo but said that if the choice was between a “bad Democrat” and a “communist,” he would choose the Democrat. “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, 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.”
