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Trump warns he’d cut NYC funds if Mamdani wins, urges voters to back Cuomo instead
By
Phil Corso
Published Nov 3, 2025
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Samuel Corum/Getty Images
By
Phil Corso
Published Nov 3, 2025
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President Donald Trump inserted himself squarely into New York City’s mayoral race Monday afternoon, posting an all-caps endorsement of Andrew Cuomo and a warning that a Zohran Mamdani victory would mean “ZERO chance of success, or even survival” for the city.
In a Truth Social post published after 5 p.m., Trump wrote, “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home.”
Trump went on to call Mamdani “a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE,” adding that his principles “have been tested for over a thousand years, and never once have they been successful.”
Mamdani is a democratic socialist, not a communist.
He urged New Yorkers to back Cuomo, writing, “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”
Trump also took a jab at Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, saying, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani.”
The post marks Trump’s most direct intervention in the race so far, one day before voters head to the polls. Cuomo, running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, has been appealing to moderate and right-leaning voters, particularly in Staten Island and southern Brooklyn.
Mamdani responded in a campaign email Monday evening, writing: “Congratulations, Andrew Cuomo. I know how hard you worked for this.”
He framed the endorsement as part of a broader effort by wealthy interests to “buy our city,” casting the election as a choice between “democracy and oligarchy.”
The Cuomo and Sliwa campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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new york city
Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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