On the eve of the New York mayoral election, US President Donald Trump endorsed former governor Andrew Cuomo and warned that a Zohran Mamdani victory would bring a “complete and total economic and social disaster” to the city.
The November 4 election pits independent candidate Cuomo against Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa, with Mamdani currently leading in polls as over 735,000 New Yorkers cast early ballots.
US President Donald Trump has officially endorsed former governor Andrew Cuomo for the New York mayoral elections, and warned the city’s voters that if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani wins, there will be a “complete and total economic and social disaster” in NYC.
On the election eve on Monday, Trump announced through a Truth Social post that only the minimum-required federal funds to New York City will be provided if Mamdani wins
“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, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great city has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!” Trump said on Truth Social.
He also endorsed former New York State governor Cuomo in the last leg of the elections, “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!” Trump said.
He added that the situation in NYC “can only get worse with a Communist at the helm”
Trump’s remarks on Truth Social mirror those he made on CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday, where he said: “It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.”
While the president cannot directly decide how much funding a city receives from the federal government – as appropriations are the constitutional responsibility of Congress – disputes have intensified over the president’s influence on spending decisions and the legality of withholding funds, which is prohibited under federal law.
In the fray are Cuomo, an independent candidate, and Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa. The elections are on Tuesday, November 4. Cuomo has been a Democrat candidate throughout his political career but ran as an independent in 2025 to bypass the Democratic primary, Mamdani.
“Now it’s gonna be up to the Republicans, and I hope they listen to the president,” he said.
In an interview on Fox News later, Cuomo said: “We need a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump,” repeating Trump’s threat to stop funding the city and send in the national guard. “Trump will go through Mamdani like a hot knife through butter,” Cuomo said.
Trump also slammed Mamdani as “a Communist with no experience and a record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE,” adding that Mamdani’s ideologies have been tested for over a thousand years, and have never been successful. .
He also stated that a vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani, stating that the latter has “NO CHANCE to bring it back (NYC) to its former glory!”
November 4 marks Election Day across the United States, with polling stations open from 6AM to 9PM. The early voting period, which began on October 25, concluded on Sunday.
In NYC, Mamdani has become the front-runner, banking his campaign on lower living costs for New Yorkers as the city gets “too expensive”.
The Board of Elections stated that at least 735,000 people voted early in this election, which is about four times the number of ballots cast during the 2021 election.
(with inputs from PTI and The Guardian)
