Source: BBC

DST News: US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race, urging voters to reject progressive frontrunner Zohran Mamdani.

“Whether you like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him and hope he does a great job. He can do it — Mamdani cannot,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday evening.

Cuomo, a former Democratic New York governor now running as an independent, downplayed the endorsement, saying, “He’s not endorsing me — he’s opposing Mamdani.”

Trump, who has often criticized New York’s Democratic leadership, warned he would only allocate the minimum required federal funding to the city if Mamdani becomes mayor.

Polls show Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, leading Cuomo, while Republican Curtis Sliwa lags behind. Trump declined to endorse Sliwa, saying, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani.”

The president reiterated his threat in a CBS 60 Minutes interview, calling Mamdani a “communist” — a label the candidate has rejected. “If you have a communist running New York, you’re wasting the money you send there,” Trump said.

Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblyman and self-described democratic socialist, responded that Trump’s comments were “a threat, not the law.”

He added that Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo “shows who he believes would serve his interests best — not New Yorkers’.”

If elected, Mamdani would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in more than a century.

Cuomo, highlighting his experience leading the state during the Covid-19 pandemic, countered that he is best equipped to manage relations with Washington. “I fought Donald Trump,” he said during a debate. “When I’m fighting for New York, I won’t stop.”

New York City currently receives around $7.4 billion in federal funds annually. Trump has previously sought to withhold funding from Democratic-led cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.