New york city: US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he is endorsing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his bid for mayor of New York City, threatening to withhold federal funding to the city if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani wins Tuesday’s mayoral election. Trump, a Republican who has often commented on New York’s mayoral race, further swayed the election by crossing party lines and endorsing Cuomo over Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, who is trailing in polls in the Democratic stronghold.
According to Thai News Agency, Cuomo, a longtime Democratic frontrunner, is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. New York City’s Tuesday election is being closely watched nationally. The 34-year-old self-proclaimed democratic socialist, who leads Cuomo in public opinion polls, has energized young and progressive voters but also worried moderate Democrats who fear a shift too far to the left could backfire.
Republicans have attacked Mamdani’s candidacy throughout the campaign, with Trump accusing him of being a communist. Trump, in a post on his “Truth Social” platform, said that whether he personally liked Andrew Cuomo or not, he had no choice but to vote for him and hoped he would do a great job. He could, but Mamdani couldn’t. Trump said voting for Sliwa would only help Mamdani. Trump also said that if Mamdani wins the New York mayoral election, he will likely withhold federal funding to his beloved hometown of New York City, to the extent permitted by law.
According to the New York State Auditor General, the federal government is providing $7.4 billion in funding to the City for fiscal year 2026, representing approximately 6.4 percent of the City’s total spending. Ugandan-born Mr. Mamdani surprised political observers on June 24 with his victory in the primary election. Mr. Mamdani used his campaign to unite New Yorkers against more traditional candidates like Mr. Cuomo, who was elected governor three times but resigned in 2021 after a report from the New York state attorney general concluded he sexually harassed 11 women, including government officials, and a subsequent US Department of Justice investigation concluded that Mr. Cuomo created a “sexually hostile work environment” for at least 13 female government officials.