NEW YORK CITY – President Donald Trump is debating whether to intercede in the New York City mayoral race to block Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani from winning, according to a report in the New York Times.
What we know:
Last month, Trump said he believes that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a shot at winning the race for New York City mayor, despite losing the Democratic primary.
On Wednesday, the NYT reported that the president and Cuomo spoke by phone in recent weeks as the former governor weighed whether to remain in the race or drop out following his loss to Mamdani.
“The possibility that Mr. Trump would somehow involve himself in New York politics could inject a new element of unpredictability into an already fractious contest,” the NYT said in their report.
Trump’s potential involvement still remains unclear, but the president has said in the past that he will not let “this communist lunatic destroy New York.”
What they’re saying:
A spokesperson for Cuomo denied that the call with Trump ever happened.
“The governor and the president have not spoken in some time. As far as I know, they have not discussed the race.”
Trump issued his own denial in the Oval Office on Wednesday. When asked if he spoke to Cuomo, the president said, “No, no I haven’t.”
In a press conference on Thursday, Mamdani condemned Cuomo for “conspiring” with Trump.
“It is knowledge that is a betrayal of everything that we stand for as New Yorkers,” he said. “It is knowledge that disappoints us, yet does not surprise us, because it builds on a history that we have seen with this former governor.”
Dig deeper:
The NYT report comes just days after a new poll found Mamdani with a significant lead in the current field of five candidates, attaining 50 percent of the vote regardless of his opponent.
Mamdani is the only candidate of the five that the majority of respondents (58%) say they would consider voting for in November’s election. In comparison, 37% said they would consider voting for Cuomo, 27% said they would consider voting for Adams, 26% would consider Sliwa and 10% would consider Walden.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from the New York Times and previous reporting by FOX 5 NY.
2025 election for NYC mayorDonald J. TrumpAndrew CuomoNew York City