Mamdani says a vote for Cuomo is like a vote for Trump

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D) said that voting for Andrew Cuomo is akin to voting for President Trump. 

“Donald Trump has hand-picked his candidate. That candidate's name is Andrew Cuomo,” Mamdani told MSNBC’s Ari Melber in an interview that aired Monday. “And New Yorkers have the chance to hand pick their fighter. And I believe that candidate should be me.”

Heading into Tuesday’s general election, Mamdani is the frontrunner against Cuomo, running an independent campaign, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. An Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey of New York City residents released last week found that 50 percent of respondents backed Mamdani, while 25 percent backed Cuomo, 21 percent backed Sliwa and 4 percent said they were undecided. 

In an Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill poll released in September, Mamdani held a 15-point lead over Cuomo, who he defeated in the Democratic primary over the summer, and a 33-point lead over Sliwa.

Trump, in the past few days, has backed Cuomo, despite Sliwa being the GOP nominee.

On his Truth Social platform Monday evening, Trump called Mamdani a “communist” and said he would withhold federal funding “other than the very minimum as required” to the country’s largest city. The president added that a vote for Sliwa “is a vote for Mamdani” and that New York City residents should vote for Cuomo “whether you personally like [him] or not.”

Trump also indicated to CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on Friday that he would vote for Cuomo over Mamdani. 

“I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” Trump said, in an interview that aired Sunday on “60 Minutes.”

Mamdani sarcastically congratulated Cuomo on the social platform X after the interview aired, saying, “I know how hard you worked for” the president’s endorsement.