Trump suggested Democrat Zohran Mamdani is favoured to win unless two rival candidates withdraw, though he did not name which ones.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, became the frontrunner after defeating Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams insists he will stay in the race despite pressure, while Cuomo has urged him to step aside.
United States President Donald Trump said Thursday that he believes Democrat Zohran Mamdani is on track to become New York City’s next mayor unless two of the three main challengers against him quit the race. However, Trump did not specify which two candidates he thought should end their campaigns.
When asked by a reporter if he had urged any of the candidates to withdraw, Trump responded, “No,” but added that he hoped it would happen. “I don’t think you can win unless you have one-on-one, and somehow he’s gotten a little bit of a lead,” he said of Mamdani, AP reported. “I have no idea how that happened.”
Speaking while hosting a White House dinner with tech executives, Trump continued, “I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one, and I think that’s a race that could be won.”
Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist,defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June. Cuomo, however, remains on the ballot as an independent, alongside incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. The fourth candidate in the running against the Democrats is Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels crime patrol.
Adams reiterated on Thursday that he intends to stay in the contest, dismissing mounting pressure for him to quit the race. “No pressure, no diamonds,” Adams told reporters. “Just because people yell at you and call your names, and just because a number of people ask you to step down or don’t do what you believe, you’re supposed to succumb to that? That’s not what I do," AP quoted Adams.
Adams’ campaign has struggled since his indictment on corruption charges last year, followed by his growing ties with Trump, which unsettled many Democrats in New York, a liberal district.
That backlash intensified after the Justice Department dropped the case to allow Adams to assist with Trump’s immigration crackdown.
At a press conference on Thursday, Cuomo called on Adams to exit the race. “If Mamdani is the existential threat, if you believe that, then at a point you should defer to the strongest candidates,” Cuomo said.
