New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo said Zohran Mamdani’s claim that he’s President Trump’s choice in the race is “ludicrous,” arguing that Trump truly wants Mamdani to win.
Cuomo said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday that New York City voters have a “stark” choice between what he described as the two potentially viable candidates in the race — himself and Mamdani. And he said Republicans want Mamdani, hinting at the argument that the democratic socialist’s victory would give the GOP a tool to attack Democrats as extreme.
‘If you’re a Republican, you are praying for Mamdani to win,” Cuomo said.
The former New York governor’s comments come after rising speculation last week that incumbent Mayor Eric Adams would end his independent bid for a second term following reports that he would be offered a role in the Trump administration in exchange for dropping out. Reports indicated Trump advisers also discussed a position for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to help clear the field for Cuomo to face Mamdani in a head-to-head matchup.
But Sliwa quickly ruled out taking any position, and Adams said on Friday that he’s staying in the race and intends to win a second term. That would leave a four-candidate field in which the anti-Mamdani opposition could be split among three candidates.
Cuomo said on CNBC that the general election is much different than the Democratic primary, which he lost in an upset to Mamdani, and is evolving.
“I think you’re going to see a lot happen between now and Election Day,” Cuomo said, adding that the reality is that only he and Mamdani could win.
“We haven’t even gotten to the discussion of what a socialist really means in New York,” he said. “And he is a radical socialist, anti-business, anti-public safety, et cetera. And that is not what New York City is all about. This is a business capital. We’re not anti-business.”
Mamdani has pushed back on those attacks, arguing that he’s proposing a more effective way of addressing public safety and ensuring New Yorkers can afford the cost of living. He campaigned with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) over the weekend and touted an endorsement from a retired veteran of the New York Police Department on Monday.
