Washington: US President Donald Trump has urged his supporters to support Democrat Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City as the only viable candidate who can defeat Democratic Socialist leader Zohran Mamdani.
The explicit intervention the night before the election came after Trump repeatedly mused that he would prefer a Democrat to a “communist,” as he calls Mamdani, a 34-year-old Muslim immigrant who is almost certain to lead the country’s largest city.
Zohran Mamdani campaigns in Harlem, New York, on Sunday.Credit: Bloomberg
Cuomo, a former New York state governor who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct that he denies, is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani earlier this year. Also in the race is Republican talk show host and beret-wearing activist Curtis Sliwa, who polls show has no chance of winning.
In a social media post, Trump again threatened to cut off all but the minimum federal funding to New York if Mamdani wins. He also ordered his followers to support Cuomo.
“A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani,” Trump said. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You should vote for him and expect him to do a fantastic job. He’s capable of doing it, Mamdani isn’t!”
Mamdani upset the Democratic establishment in June when he handily won the party primary on a platform of wealth redistribution that would raise income taxes on the richest 1 percent of earners and increase corporate taxes in the cradle of American capitalism.
Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday.Credit: AP
In return, Mamdani plans to introduce universal childcare, freeze rents on rent-stabilized apartments, build social housing and make buses free. But he has also come under fire for his comments about Israel and his past support for the “defund the police” movement, positions he has now repudiated.
As such, Mamdani has become a lightning rod for Republican attacks on “extremist” Democrats and sparked new debate about the future of the Democratic Party across the country.
