WASHINGTON, Nov 4: US President Donald Trump has urged his supporters to back former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the city’s mayoral race, warning he could restrict federal funding if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani wins, Al Jazeera reported.
The endorsement came hours before polls opened in what has become one of the most closely watched local elections in years. Opinion surveys showed Mamdani leading with 45.8 percent, well ahead of Cuomo’s 31.1 percent and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa’s 17.3 percent.
Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, claimed New York City would face “a complete and total disaster” under Mamdani’s leadership. He said Cuomo, though a Democrat, had “a record of success,” calling Mamdani a “communist with no experience.”
Mamdani wins NYC mayor’s race, capping a stunning ascent
Trump urged voters to rally behind Cuomo, saying a vote for Sliwa was effectively a vote for Mamdani. He also warned that a Mamdani victory would make it “highly unlikely” for his administration to send more than the minimum federal funds to the city, according to Al Jazeera.
Candidates fanned out across New York’s five boroughs in the final hours of campaigning. Mamdani led a dawn march across the Brooklyn Bridge with hundreds of supporters before addressing a crowd at City Hall.
Cuomo spoke against socialism in the Bronx, met with seniors in Chinatown, and labeled Mamdani a “poser” on social media. Sliwa met supporters in Coney Island, recalling a deadly subway attack as he pressed his law-and-order message. More than 735,000 early votes were cast in the race, four times the number recorded in 2021, Al Jazeera said.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblyman, has drawn support with promises of free buses, rent freezes, and universal childcare funded by higher taxes on the wealthy. If elected, he would become the city’s first Muslim and the first African-born and South Asian-origin mayor.
Speaking in Brooklyn, Mamdani said Trump’s support for Cuomo showed the former governor was aligned with Washington’s interests, not New Yorkers’. “If Cuomo is elected, our city will descend deeper into darkness,” he said as his supporters chanted, “Our time is now.” As reported by Al Jazeera.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 following sexual harassment findings, has appealed to conservatives by attacking socialism, comparing Mamdani’s platform to failed Latin American models. He agreed with Trump’s argument that “a vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani,” urging Republicans to back him.
Billionaire donors, including Bill Ackman, have boosted Cuomo’s campaign with large contributions. Meanwhile, Sliwa, the 71-year-old founder of The Guardian Angels, focused his campaign on crime, homelessness, and affordability, saying New Yorkers deserve “safety and leadership that won’t look the other way,” Al Jazeera reported.
