Trump backs Cuomo for NYC mayor: "He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!"
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
New York City Mayoral Candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a press conference in New York City in August. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
President Trump endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayor's race and urged New Yorkers not to vote for front-runner Zohran Mamdani in a post on Monday — the eve of the NYC general election.
What he's saying: "A vote for [Republican candidate] Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani," Trump said on Truth Social. "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, Mamdani is not!"
Why it matters: Opinion polls suggest that Democratic mayoral nominee Mamdani is ahead of former N.Y. Gov. Cuomo, who is running as an independent in Tuesday's NYC race.
Zoom in: In his post, Trump doubled down on comments he made during his interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday during which he said it'd be hard for him to send federal funding to NYC if democratic socialist Mamdani were mayor.
- "If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home," the NYC-born president wrote.
- "[B]ecause of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!" he added of Mamdani, who denies being a Communist.
Flashback: Trump and Cuomo clashed when he was governor during the COVID pandemic, but in July Trump backed his decision to stay in the NYC race as an independent after losing the nomination to Mamdani.
Of note: Trump said on "60 Minutes": "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."
By the numbers: Mamdani leads the race 46.1%, with Cuomo placing second at 31.8% and Silwa at 16.3%, per the latest RealClearPolitics average.
What they're saying: Mamdani told reporters Monday in response to Trump's comments on "60 Minutes" about Cuomo: "The answer to a Donald Trump presidency is not to create its mirror image here in City Hall."
- Before Trump's Truth Social post, Mamdani posted to his social media channels a poster-style image featuring Trump and Cuomo with the quote "I'm going to pick [Cuomo]," the headline 'Trump endorses Cuomo' and the comment: "Congratulations, Andrew Cuomo. I know how hard you worked for this."
- Cuomo focused on Trump calling him a "bad Democrat" in a post to X Monday, saying: "Trump called me a bad Democrat? No I'm a good Democrat. A proud Democrat. Because when I lead, I protect our values and our people.
- "ICE and the National Guard coming into New York City under my watch? Never. It didn't happen when I was Governor and it won't happen when I'm the next Mayor of New York City. I've seen this Trump movie before… this isn't a job for a rookie."
Go deeper: Exclusive: Republicans plan to "weaponize" Mamdani in 2026
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
