In a dramatic intervention on the eve of New York City's mayoral election, President Donald Trump endorsed independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and threatened to withhold federal funds if progressive Zohran Mamdani prevails.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote: '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.' He later added that he would 'much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience.'
Cuomo, a former Democratic governor who lost the party's primary to Mamdani and is now running as an independent, echoed Trump's stance on 77WABC radio, urging Republicans to heed the president's warning. Appearing on Fox News, Cuomo said the city needed a mayor who could stand up to Trump, but claimed the president would 'go through Mamdani like a hot knife through butter.'
Mamdani hit back at a campaign event in Astoria, Queens, calling the threat 'naked and unabashed.' He described Trump's endorsement as proof that Cuomo would be 'the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration, not the best mayor for New York City.' Mamdani stressed that the funding was 'not something that Donald Trump is giving us' but 'something that we are, in fact, owed.'
The Trump administration has already clashed with New York over funding, including withholding $18bn for a tunnel project and, according to a federal judge, illegally rescinding $34m in counterterrorism money. Recent polling by Atlas Intel shows Mamdani leading with 41% support, followed by Cuomo at 34% and Republican Curtis Sliwa at 24%.
