Jul 15, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Trump says Andrew Cuomo has "a good shot of winning" NYC mayoral race

Jason Lalljee

Trump sitting — President Trump said that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had a "shot" at beating democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the NYC mayoral election. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Andrew Cuomo finds an unlikely supporter in his renewed bid for New York City mayor: Former New Yorker President Trump.

Why it matters: Trump's nod of support to Cuomo represents a break from their highly public enmity, but it also signals the expansion of the anti-Zohran Mamdani alliance that unites Republicans and some establishment Democrats.

Driving the news: Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he supported Cuomo's decision to stay in New York City's mayoral race as an independent after losing the nomination to Mamdani.

"I think he should stay," Trump said. "He's running against a communist. I would think that he would have a good shot of winning."

The other side: The president's comments came as Mayor Eric Adams, who's also running as an independent, has aligned himself closely with Trump's policies.

Trump supporters have gravitated to Adams as well. MAGA influencers and other Trump-aligned individuals raised funds last week in Florida for Adams' campaign, multiple outlets reported.

What they're saying: Cuomo did not immediately address Trump's support.

Mamdani's campaign said in a press release that it "congratulates Andrew Cuomo" on the "coveted endorsement."
"The question now is whether Cuomo will embrace Trump's support publicly or continue to just accept it in private," Mamdani spokesperson Jeffrey Lerner said in a statement.

Catch up quick: Cuomo confirmed on Monday his plan to run in November on an independent ballot line.

He lost to Mamdani by 12 percentage points in June's ranked-choice Democratic primary.

The NYC Board of Elections' unofficial figures showed that in round three of the Democratic Party's ranked-choice voting primary last month, Mamdani received 573,123 votes after 103,408 votes were transferred from other candidates.
That broke the previous record for the highest total votes a Democratic New York mayoral primary winner received, when David Dinkins beat Ed Koch in a non-ranked-choice election with 547,901 votes in 1989.

Trump has launched attacks on Mamdani in the weeks following his primary win, which catapulted him into the national spotlight.

In a vague Truth Social post this month, Trump vowed he would not "let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York," saying he holds "all the levers" and "all the cards."
Mamdani has said he is "Donald Trump's worst nightmare."

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Trump says Andrew Cuomo has "a good shot of winning" NYC mayoral race

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