Trump Says Cuomo Should ‘Stay In’ NYC Mayor Race, Renews Attacks on Mamdani

U.S. President Donald Trump has backed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s candidature as an independent in the New York City mayoral race, while once again turning his fire on Democratic contender Zohran Mamdani.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said Cuomo still has a shot at securing victory in the general election in November despite losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June.

“I think he should stay. I think he has a shot,” Trump said.

Cuomo, 67, declaredd his independent bid on Monday, deciding not to stop after his decisive primary loss and setting up a three-way contest against Mamdani, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

But it’s not an easy path. Cuomo’s name still draws negative attention in the city, where his X (formerly Twitter) campaign announcement faced criticism, mainly due sexual harassment scandals that led to him stepping down as governor in 2021. Cuomo has denied the allegations.

Trump, who left New York for Florida after his first term in office, stopped short of formally endorsing Cuomo but left the door open.

“I don’t want to say. I’m a Republican; he’s a Democrat or an independent,” Trump said. “I think Andrew would have a good shot of winning. He’s got to run a tough campaign. You know, he’s running against a communist.”

The president was referring to Mamdani, a 33-year-old progressive state legislator who’s centered his campaign on housing affordability and public services. Trump has frequently targeted Mamdani in recent weeks.

“As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York,” Trump wrote in a social media post last week. “Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards. I’ll save New York City, and make it ‘Hot’ and ‘Great’ again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”

Mamdani, who is of South Asian descent and Muslim, has faced unfounded claims of “terrorist sympathies” from right-wing commentators and lawmakers.

Last month, the White House said that those claims “should be investigated” to determine whether Mamdani’s citizenship could be revoked.

With input from Al Jazeera