Nov. 3 (UPI) — President Donald Trump announced Monday he is backing former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent in New York City’s mayoral race, saying residents have “no choice.”
The president threw his endorsement behind Cuomo, on the eve of the election, over Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa to beat Democrat Zohran Mamdani, who he called “a communist.”
“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,” Trump wrote Monday in a post on Truth Social.
“His principles have been tested for over a thousand years, and never once have they been successful,” the president added. “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.”
In his post, Trump also threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani wins on Tuesday.
“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 required, to my beloved first home,” Trump wrote. “I don’t want to send, as president, good money after bad.”
Trump also explained why he chose to endorse Cuomo over the Republican mayoral candidate.
“We must remember this — a vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani,” Trump warned. “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!”
Cuomo told reporters in a response Monday night that the president was “not endorsing me, he’s opposing Mamdani.”
Mamdani also responded to Trump’s post, saying the president is backing who will be the “best mayor for him.”
“Not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration,” Mamdani told reporters, while also weighing in on Elon Musk’s endorsement of Cuomo earlier Monday.
“The reason that the president of the United States of America, the reason that one of the wealthiest men in the world are both trying to get involved at the last minute,” Mamdani said, “is that they know we will accomplish everything we have run on.”