Trump endorses Cuomo for NYC mayor
New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo leaves a campaign stop in New York on Monday. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo got an 11th-hour endorsement Monday from a Queens native, President Donald Trump, who posted that "you really have no choice" but to vote for Cuomo.
"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," Trump posted on his Truth Social network, adding: "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 — a lifelong Democrat who is running as an independent after losing the primary to Zohran Mamdani — told Trump supporter and WABC radio owner John Catsimatidis that he welcomed the news.
“Now it’s going to be up to the Republicans, and I hope they listen to the president,” Cuomo said.
As recently as last month, Cuomo had said he would reject Trump's support. Trump has called Mamdani a “down and dirty” communist and threatened to withhold federal dollars to New York City if Mamdani is elected.
Mamdani, speaking Tuesday morning as he checked in to vote in Astoria, told Newsday: "If they want to vote for a candidate endorsed by Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Stephen Miller, then by all means they should vote for Andrew Cuomo. If they want to vote for a candidate that will actually stand up to that agenda and deliver on an affordability agenda, then they should vote for me."
Mamdani has said if elected he’d use the bully pulpit and sue in an attempt to keep Trump from following through on his threats to withhold federal money.
“There are many things that he will say and that he will do that will not actually bear out in the results within our own city. I will treat his threats as they deserve to be treated, which are the words of a president and not necessarily the law of the land,” Mamdani said.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
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