New York mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo during an election event on Monday, November 3, 2025 in New York, USA.
Christian Monterrosa | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Monday night made a clear call to New York City residents to vote for Andrew Cuomo over Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani in the mayoral race.
Mr. Trump announced his support for Mr. Cuomo’s independent candidate the day before and hours after the election. tesla CEO Elon Musk similarly supported the former New York governor.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk said a vote for Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa was effectively a vote for state Rep. Mamdani, who has consistently held a solid lead in general election polls.
“A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without a beret!) is a vote for Mamdani,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really don’t have a choice,” Trump wrote.
“You have to vote for him and hope he does a great job. He can do it, but Mamdani can’t!”
Mr. Cuomo is a Democrat. He is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the party primary in June.
“Donald Trump is being threatened by our campaign,” Mamdani said in an interview with CNN.
“What a pair!” he said when Musk’s name came up.
“They chose Andrew Cuomo because they know he will be the puppet they want in New York City,” Mamdani said.
A spokesperson for Mr. Mamdani told the New York Times that Mr. Trump’s support for Mr. Cuomo was “certainly a nail in the coffin for Mr. Andrew Cuomo.”
In the same post Monday night, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from New York if Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, wins on Tuesday.
“If communist candidate Zoran Mamdani wins the New York City mayoral election, it is highly unlikely that I will donate the required minimum federal funds to my beloved first homeland, because as a communist, there is zero chance that this once-great city will succeed or even survive!” Trump wrote.
Mamdani is not a communist.
In a post on his social media site
The Times reported Monday that Mamdani said during a campaign event in Queens that he had known for “months” that Trump would support Cuomo.
“In these last days, everything that was rumored and feared was done openly and without shame,” Mamdani was quoted as saying.
“The support of Andrew Cuomo by the MAGA movement reflects Donald Trump’s understanding that this will be the best mayor for him. Not the best mayor for New York City or the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration.”
