A last-minute attempt by President Trump to stop socialist Zohran Mamdani's widely predicted victory in New York's mayoral election was unsuccessful, as voters rejected tarnished ex-governor Andrew Cuomo despite Trump's appeal to choose him as the lesser of two evils.
Trump, a Queens native, had taken a close interest in the election for months, blasting Mamdani as a radical threat to Trump's beloved hometown.
In an election eve post, Trump had warned that Republican Curtis Sliwa had no chance of winning, leaving voters with "no choice" but to support Cuomo, a Democrat who ran as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary.
In his post, Trump warned that he would cut off federal funds to the city if Mamdani won.
“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, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!" Trump wrote.
“It can only get worse with a Communist at the helm, and I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad. It is my obligation to run the Nation, and it is my strong conviction that New York City will be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win,” he added.
"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.
Mamdani "was nothing as an Assemblyman, ranked at the bottom of the class and, as Mayor of potentially, again, the Greatest City in the World, HE HAS NO CHANCE to bring it back to its former Glory!" Trump added.
Trump cast a large shadow over the campaign, with Cuomo and Mamdani both presenting themselves as defenders of the liberal city against Trump and his agenda.
The Mamdani campaign pounced on Trump's 11th hour, cross-party endorsement to paint Cuomo as a puppet of Trump, while Cuomo dismissed Trump's show of support, saying, “He’s not endorsing me, he’s opposing Mamdani."
While Cuomo was reluctant to be tied to Trump, Cuomo desperately needed backing from Republicans to beat Mamdani. Indeed, Cuomo appeared on Fox News Tuesday morning to make a final pitch for GOP support, and the governor even issued a rare apology for his scandalous role in nursing home deaths during the COVID pandemic.
Despite Cuomo's baggage, Trump wanted Republicans to support the former governor over Sliwa, whom Trump warned would be a spoiler candidate for Mamdani.
"A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani. 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 wrote.
Sliwa had resisted pressure to end his campaign and create a path for Cuomo, with Sliwa blaming the disgraced ex-governor and his party for failing to stop Mamdani sooner.
