US President Donald Trump has endorsed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in his independent run for New York City mayor. The endorsement comes with a stark warning to voters not to elect the Democratic front-runner, Zohran Mamdani. Trump labeled Mamdani a communist.
In a post on Truth Social, the President stated that a Mamdani victory would be a “complete and total economic and social disaster” for New York City. He further threatened to restrict federal funding to the city to “the very minimum as required” if the 34-year-old democratic socialist wins the November 4 election
The endorsement marks a notable shift, given Trump’s historically tense relationship with the former Democratic governor. Trump framed the choice as one between a competent, if flawed, Democrat and an inexperienced ideologue.
🚨 PRESIDENT TRUMP ENDORSES CUOMO FOR MAYOR: “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m going to pick the bad Democrat all the time to be honest with you.”
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— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) November 3, 2025“I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE,” Trump wrote. He also dismissed the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa. Trump argued that a vote for Sliwa would effectively help Mamdani.
The extent of Trump’s influence on New York City voters remains uncertain. While he lost the city decisively in all three of his presidential bids, he did make modest gains in several boroughs during the 2024 election.
Read: Cuomo Concedes to Mamdanu in NYC Mayoral Primary
Trump’s endorsement was echoed by billionaire Elon Musk, who also publicly supported Cuomo on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, now known as X. The latest opinion polls show Mamdani leading Cuomo. Cuomo entered the race as an independent after losing the Democratic primary. Both leading candidates have previously opposed Trump’s policies. Cuomo had previously stated he would reject any endorsement from the President.
