It seems like US President Donald Trump doesn’t have many choices to rally behind in the New York City mayoral race. After a “communist” Zohran Mamdani’s repeated criticism, Trump has settled for “bad democrat” Andrew Cuomo.
When asked about the possibility of Mamdani winning the key race, Trump indicated it would be difficult for him to approve funds for New York City if a “communist” ran it.
“Because if you have a Communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump said in an interview with CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday.
Trump went on to announce his backing for Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral race. However, his support was more like a last resort than a genuine endorsement. “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,” Trump said.
In the same interview, Trump also doubled down his attack on Zohran Mamdani, the Muslim American whom he had earlier termed “100% lunatic communist”.
In the interview, Trump was asked about comparisons between him and Mamdani. “Some people have compared him to a left-wing version of you — charismatic, breaking the old rules,” the interviewer asked. Responding to the question, Trump said: “Well, I think I’m a much better looking person.”
Who is Andrew Cuomo?
Andrew Cuomo, who earned a reluctant backing from Donald Trump, was defeated by Zohran Mamdani in the mayoral primary back in June this year. He served as New York’s governor for 10 years starting 2011 but resigned in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations.
Cuomo lost to Mamdani despite being heavily favoured entering the primary race. After the June rout, Cuomo entered the race again, this time as an Independent.
Apart from the these two, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa is also in the race.
Mamdani is the frontrunner in the NYC mayoral race, and is poised to become the first Muslim mayor.
Mamdani reacts to Trump’s Cuomo ‘backing’
After Trump’s remarks favouring Andrew Cuomo surfaced, Zohran Mamdani took to X to jab his rival, sarcastically congratulating him. “Congratulations, @AndrewCuomo. I know how hard you worked for this,” Mamdani tweeted, alongside a picture saying Trump “endorses” Cuomo.
However, Cuomo has clarified that he didn’t receive any endorsement from the President. “He said if Mamdani wins, he’s going to cut off funding for New York,” Cuomo said of Trump. “He calls him a communist. He’ll send the National Guard. We need a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump, who can get the funding New York deserves, who can make sure the National Guard doesn’t come to New York.”
The high-stakes New York mayoral polls are set for Tuesday, November 4 (local time).
