Trump urges his NYC supporters to vote for Cuomo in mayoral race

President Trump called on his supporters in New York City Monday night to vote for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the president’s onetime foe, in hopes of defeating frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in the city’s mayoral race.

Mr. Trump, in a social media post, elaborated on remarks he made earlier on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that he prefers having a Democrat run his former hometown than a “communist.”

“I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Mamdani.

Mr. Trump described Mr. Mamdani, a socialist running on the Democratic ticket, as “nothing as an Assemblyman.” He said he was “ranked at the bottom of the class and, as Mayor of potentially, again, the Greatest City in the World, HE HAS NO CHANCE to bring it back to its former Glory!”

Mr. Cuomo, who is running as an independent, is facing an uphill battle after he lost to Mr. Mamdani in the Democratic primary. During Mr. Trump’s first term, he clashed often with Mr. Cuomo, especially on pandemic policies.

The three-way race for mayor, which includes Republican Curtis Sliwa, has made it difficult for Mr. Cuomo to capture as many voters in the city as possible. Mr. Cuomo is still struggling to turn out independents and Republicans to his side.  

Mr. Trump’s endorsement comes one day before Election Day, when more Republicans typically vote.

The president said, “We must also remember this — A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani. 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!”

Mr. Trump made similar remarks during his “60 Minutes interview,” but did not explicitly tell his supporters to vote for Mr. Cuomo. The Mamdani campaign ran with Mr. Trump’s remarks and said it was a full-throated endorsement of Mr. Cuomo, an assessment rejected by Mr. Cuomo.

In the same social media post on Monday, Mr. Trump said if Mr. Mamdani won the mayor’s race, it is “highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required to my beloved first home.”

Mr. Trump said Mr. Mamdani “as a Communist” cannot deliver success to the city, nor can the city survive with Mr. Mamdani “at the helm.”

“I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad. It is my obligation to run the Nation, and it is my strong conviction that New York City will be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win,” he said.